The Merger
by briniava
Summary: Sookie is a powerful executive assistant in one company, Eric is playboy CEO of another. The combining of the companies brings them together with DC and the Federal Government as the backdrop. AH/AU/M for upcoming chapters
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

* * *

"Chicken Cesar please"she said, smiling at the woman on the other side of the counter.

"Hey Sook" came a warm masculine voice from behind her.

Whirling Sookie turned around. "Hey Sam" she said smiling, "I missed you at the guard station when I came in this morning"

"I'm working the swing shift today. How's your day goin?" Sam said, watching as she took the bowl off the counter and said her thanks to the woman across the counter.

"Its crazy, rumor is we are merging, I've been talking to the admin on the other side, its only gonna get crazier" Sookie said, sighing, "So much for a life"

"What's gonna happen to the staff, mergers are never safe you know, there are always layoffs" Sam said.

"They haven't said yet, you know they won't til damn near the last minute" Sookie said, shaking her head. Sookie took her salad bowl and walked to the soda station.

"I'll see you later Sam" she called grabbing an ice tea and cashing out.

Sookie made her way over to the elevators and managed to get back to her desk before the phone started ringing.

"Victor Madden's office, Sookie Stackhouse speaking, how can I help you?" she said automatically, not realizing she was answering her direct line.

"It's crazy for me to, I always answer my line like its Eric's too" answered the voice on the end, with a laugh.

"I am up to my arm pits in email and calendar issues, Amelia I am gonna scream before this merger is over, all the questions blah" Sookie said as she flopped into her chair. Kicking off her shoes under her desk, she took a knife and fork out of her desk. "How's it goin for you? I just grabbed a salad in the cafeteria."

"The same, all the emails and meetings, I am making arrangements for Eric to fly out your way next week. Can you be his point of contact while he is out your way?" Amelia asked, "It will make it easier if he has someone to assist him, and it will ensure that you are on 'the list' face time with boss is always good"

"Sure, what ever I can do to help. Do you need a hotel recommendation? I know the manager of the hotel next door, they are good, and he will be able to walk to and from the building, no need to bother with a car until he wants to leave"

"Would you be able to make the reservation for me? I'll give you his corporate card number"

After exchanging the necessary information and all the details, Sookie hung up the phone and called the hotel. Booking a suite for the next 5 weeks was easy, once she got the email confirmation, she forwarded it on to Amelia and printed a copy for herself.

The day seemed to fly by and it was 5 before Sookie had a chance to check in with Victor. Reaching his voice mail, she left a message on his cell phone, telling him to check his email and to call her when he got the message. Sookie was planning on staying at the office until after 7 she had a few more things to get done.

Victor Madden had hired her 5 years ago, and they made a formidable team. He was a Director when she first started with him, and now, he was an Executive Vice President. They had been promoted several times, with his business savvy and her attention to detail, they were a force to be reckoned with, both within the company and externally, Victor had been getting more attention with reporters and different organizations wanting him on their board of directors. Victor Madden was a hot commodity; it was no surprise when their technology company, The Patriot, was sold to Unity. Unity had been interested in The Patriot for years and as Victor was promoted their income started doubling the company became very successful. The problem was that as they became more successful, their CEO was aging, and made the decision that he wanted to retire. With that came the announcement that the privately held company was going to be sold the Unity, also a privately held company, with a bright, shining and extremely successful, golden boy as CEO. Eric Northman had taken over as CEO and President, almost 6 years ago. He had grown their portfolio several times over, making them the number one technology company in the United States. Unity was interested in The Patriot because of the government contracts they held. It would allow Unity to take over those contracts and essentially dominate the market.

Victor had been meeting with Eric to address the merger and its affects on the government as well as the employees. As a result, Amelia who was Eric's assistant and Sookie, Victors assistant were becoming good buddies. They had spoken on the phone almost daily since the merger had been announced.

What had not been announced publicly was that Unity would be moving its headquarters from San Francisco to Virginia in the coming months. It made sense for Unity to move its headquarters to be near its biggest client, the Federal Government.

Eric was flying out next week to start looking at office space with Victor and also to find himself a home, or at least a Corporate Apartment while he found a home. Sookie and Amelia had been coordinating his time between client visits with Victor and the real estate agent that would be taking him around the area.

Sookie's phone rang at 6:30. "The Patriot this is Sookie" she said as she answered the phone.

"Hey Sook, sorry its so late, I've been thru my email, and I got your voicemail, what's up?" Victor asked, a smile on his face. 'What would I do without her?' he thought to himself.

"Are you still good for flights tomorrow? I need to know if I am going to change them?" she asked.

"Nope I'm good, we are wrapping up here soon and I won't need to come back tomorrow so I'll be able to go straight to the airport from the hotel"

"OK, we need to go over the press release for the council meeting that is coming up, and I finished your Congressional speech, do you want me to leave a copy on your desk?" she asked placing a check next to the items on her list.

They were on the phone another 30 minutes as Sookie went thru her list for Victor. Victor added a few things to her list for tomorrow and they finished the call.

Sookie coordinated things in her daytimer, it was her work bible, Victor often teased her about hiding it from her to see how long she could function without it. Sookie kept everything in it from Victor's allergy to peanuts, to the favorite flowers of their customers wife. In truth, Sookie could lose her laptop and still function as long as she had her daytimer, it was the way she controlled her life as well as Victors.

Finishing up the last of her tasks, Sookie walked out the door to her car at 7:45. Making it home by 8:30 she managed to flip thru a drive thru and grab some chicken nugget, before pulling into her garage.

Making her way out of the garage and to her bottom floor apartment, she dropped her bags in the door. Walking into her bedroom she saw her best friend laying in the middle of her bed.

"Hi Bella" she called as she walked into her closet to hang her clothes and put on her nightgown and robe. Stopping briefly to scratch behind the ears of her cat, she walked into the kitchen with her take out bag and Bella trotting behind her.

Opening a can of cat food and setting it down, she was greeted with a lick on the back of her hand as Bella made her way over to her dinner. Sookie giggled and with a soft stroke to her back, left and went to the kitchen to eat her nuggets.

Turning on the TV she settled on the news for a bit, at least the noise would distract her while she ate. Finishing up in the kitchen, she made her way to her living room, and sat flipping channels until she got up and went to bed.

Arriving at the office the next day, Sookie was downing her coffee as the badged in. "Thank God its Friday" she said as she past the guard station. The three guards on duty gave her weak nods of agreement.

As she arrived on the 6th floor, she noticed she was the first one that morning. All the floors in the building had doors near the elevators that employees had to badge into but the 6th floor was the executive floor and they closed those doors after hours, but whoever arrived first propped the doors open, so that all employees could come and go at will.

Breezing down the corridor she made her way to her desk, which was right outside Victor's office. It had taken her no time to get ready, Fridays were denim for the employees at The Patriot, and while Sookie didn't usually indulge, she did this particular Friday. With Victor out of the office, she knew she would not have to face any clients. She also thought that this might be the last time she would get to take advantage of it, with Mr. Northman arriving next week and being in their office for at least the next 5 weeks, Sookie was figuring she could kiss the tradition goodbye.

Docking her laptop and turning it on, she made her way to the kitchen to start the first pot of coffee. By the time she returned, she was able to log in and open email and get her day started.

Scanning thru her email, she noticed several from Amelia and Victor. Going thru Victor's first she was able to file them and mark the necessary items for follow up. Moving to Amelia's emails she noticed that Amelia had copied Eric her 'thank you' for scheduling the hotel and helping with the calendar and transition in the coming weeks. Smiling, she replied to all and added responded with a gracious response.

The other emails from Amelia were real estate listings for Sookie to print out for Eric to review the following week. Making her way thru those, she was able to finish and get to the kitchen to refill her coffee mug.

"Its gonna be a long day" she said to herself.

Proofing Victor's congressional speech for the third time, Sookie laid it on his desk with her notes. Victor would be addressing congress the week after next on cyber security. It was a hot topic right now.

Victor's phone started ringing at 10 and seemed to not stop until after 2. For some reason, people were under the impression he was in the office today. Finally reaching the end of her rope, Sookie silenced both phones, which would send them immediately to voice mail and went to grab her lunch.

Cell phone in hand with her wallet, Sookie managed to eat half of her sandwich in the cafeteria with an analyst, Lafayette, before Amelia called her.

"Did you know your desk is rolling to voicemail?"

"Yeah, it started at 10 today and I had to get to lunch, so I switched both Victor and I over. I'll go thru the voice mails when I get back. What's up?" Sookie answered.

"Well, they both flew back today. They should be landing anytime now. Eric managed to get on Victor's flight and they were talking about going to the office"

"Shit, I'm in jeans, I gotta go, I gotta change, I'm so glad I keep a suit in the office for emergencies" Sookie replied.

"Well, hurry, they landed like an hour ago" Amelia laughed as Sookie hung up.

Running up the stairs and into Victor's office, she grabbed her spare suit. Racing to the bathroom, Sookie was able to change and get back to her desk and hide her clothes in a desk drawer. Her long blonde hair hanging loose as she was bent over, closing her drawer, she looked up and turned around at the sound of someone clearing their throat.

Her blue eyes widened a bit at the site of Adonis himself standing in front of her. He was quite a bit taller than her, with short blonde hair, his broad shoulders made his trim waist seem more appealing. His blue eyes seemed to pop against the blue of his shirt. His suit jacket only emphasized his shoulders.

Her mouth was suddenly dry as she tried to form words instead of panting and drooling under the gaze of laughing blue eyes taking in her form.

She saw them start at her ankles, move up her toned legs and take in her small waist, generous bust and settle back on her eyes as one of his eyebrows shot up, a smirk taking over his features as he leaned on the edge of her desk.

"Can I help you?" she finally choked out.

"Yes, but I think a better question is, can I help you" he countered purring at the end of his sentence, licking his lips in a not so subtle hint.

Sookie felt insulted at his unspoken innuendo, "Perhaps if you tell me who you are looking for I can tell you what floor they are on?" she replied, her voice tightening.

"I've been looking for you my whole life." He replied his smirk growing "Why don't you tell me where happy hour is and we can talk about the first thing that pops up"

"I can call security if that would help you" she countered, now angry, her face red and tight with emotion.

"Only if they look like you" he paused for a moment waiting for her reaction, getting none he asked "Where is the kitchen?"

Not trusting herself to speak, Sookie pointed towards the hallway. With a nod, the man walked away. Before Sookie could scream in frustration, her cell phone rang again.

It was Victor "Hey Sook" he greeted "I am in the lobby, I forgot my badge, can you come claim me?"

"I'll be right down" She answered moving towards the elevator quickly. Not seeing

Nodding to the guards on the main level, Victor and Sookie were in the elevator quickly.

"I left the speech on your desk, I made notes, take a look and we can do a rehearsal next week." Sookie said, it was time for business.

"OK, send an email out to all employees, we need to have a meeting in the auditorium" Victor said, exiting the elevators. He walked slowly so Sookie could keep up with him. "We're going to announce the HQ relocation plans. Eric flew back with me, he'll be doing the announcement at 3P"

"K, I am looking forward to meeting him, I promised Amelia, his admin I would help him while he is here" Sookie said

"I like him, he is a very 'what you see is what you get' kinda guy. We will do well under him." Victor acknowledged.

"I'm glad you like him; since you will be working with him so much" Sookie said a smile on her face.

"Yes it will make things easier, liking him I mean" reaching their corner of the floor, Victor stepped into his office. Looking over his shoulder he laughed "I love the socks and tennis shoes with the suit Sookie, it's a good look"

Sookie was so infallible, Victor always loved it when he managed to catch her off guard, it had become a game for him.

Pulling together a quick email and reserving the auditorium, Sookie sent it off to Victor for final approval. She was always careful and make him read anything before she sent it out, just in case he didn't like it. Victor ok'd the verbage in 5 minutes. Once it was ready, Sookie sent it out to all employees and made sure to cc Amelia and Eric as well.

The phone rang, the minute she got the 'ok- email sent' confirmation. "The Patriot, Victor Madden's office this is Sookie Stackhouse" she answered.

"Ms Stackhouse, I've not talked to you in some time, how are you today? Are you enjoying our beautiful spring weather?"

It was Bill Compton. He was the CEO of Synergistic. Synergistic's was a company that was teaming with The Patriot on a particular Defense contract. He was also a skirt chaser. In spite of his 15 year marriage to Lorena, and 3 happy, healthy children, Bill was interested in Sookie, _very _interested.

"Its been lovely hasn't it Bill? Hold one moment and I'll grab Victor for you" she said, giving him no chance to protest. Getting up she hit the wall separating her desk from Victor.

Victor nodded, knowing who it was from Sookie's reaction and picked up the line. Victor's second line rang then.

Sookie rolled her eyes silently discovering it was John Quinn. He was a fellow board member with one of Victor's outside pursuits. He always called her "babe" and it just drove her nuts. He was requesting the last meeting minutes and some information about an upcoming meeting that Victor was hosting when Victor walked out of his office. Not noticing the time, Sookie managed to get finally get off the phone at 3:10. Stepping off the elevator, she arrived at the auditorium just in time to see the blonde man who had harassed her earlier standing in the hall talking to another blonde, this one a female. They were talking in a foreign language and stopped when they saw Sookie approach.

He stepped in front of Sookie with a raised eyebrow and his grin "I could accuse you of chasing me" he said "Isn't that harassment? I won't tell though, as long as you promise to harass me frequently"

"You know, we should be in the auditorium, there is an important announcement happening." She retorted, not bothering a reply to is comment.

"OH?" he asked innocently

"Yes, our new CEO is making a statement, and you should be listening, he will be running our company, we need to support him the best way we can" Sookie lectured.

"You are happy about this take over?" he asked

"I have no opinion on the matter, it is my job to make sure my executive is supported to the best of my capabilities and that our CEO makes this transition smoothly so our customers are not impacted. You would think that you, being an employee here would feel the same way"

"Your executive?" he answered, stressing the word your.

"If my executive looks bad then I look bad, so yes, I consider him mine" Sookie replied coldly.

The blonde woman just stood watching the interaction. She made no comment until Sookie claimed her executive.

"That almost sounds like loyalty"

"It is" Sookie said, her gaze meeting the cold, pale blue eyes of the woman.

Victor walked out into the hall then, "Come on, I saved you a chair, we haven't begun yet" he said his arm reaching out for Sookie.

With a nod Sookie turned, forgetting the two strangers and walked into the auditorium. Victor had gotten them 2 seats in the first row. The new CEO would be walking in and the podium was right in front of Sookie, she would get to see the man before he knew who she was.

'_I wonder what he looks like?'_Sookie wondered, she had been trying to Google him all week, hoping to find a picture of him so she wouldn't be caught off guard when he did finally arrive.

Sookie heard the door to the stage click and then latch shut. She had been looking around the auditorium to see how full it was. Hearing the door shut, she turned in her seat, her professional 'welcome aboard' smile plastered on her face, she looked up at the podium and saw her blonde Adonis grinning down at her.

"Good Afternoon everyone, I am Eric Northman…."

HOLY. SHIT.

I. AM. SO. SCREWED.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I've got you booked on the same flight as Victor" Amelia said, reviewing the flight reservations with me, "You're also sitting next to him on the plane" handing me the printed itinerary. "Now here is the hotel stuff, Sookie, Victor's admin, she is awesome, she arranged this all for you, she is also going to be your point of contact out there"

"Her name is Sookie?" Eric asked

"Yep Sookie Stackhouse, she sounds adorable, very efficient, she made him, Eric, don't get cocky, her connections are going to be what help you in DC and I've been working on my relationship with her to ensure we have a smooth transition" Amelia lectured. "I didn't even think to ask you, are you taking Felicia with you?"

"Nope, but thank you for reminding me, I need to end that one" Eric said, running his hands thru his hair, "A bit too needy for my taste"

"Do you want me to send the usual?" she asked, making a note on her steno pad

"The usual? I have a usual?" Eric asked leaning back in his chair, his eyebrow arching.

"Don't give me that look Eric Northman! You go thru women, like I go thru socks; your usual goodbye is whatever line you feed them and a bouquet I send to their home. We cannot afford to have you making the company look bad because you are schmoozing every woman you come across" Amelia sighed impatiently.

"You sound like my sister" he replied, a smirk coming across his handsome face.

"Cause she is right, you are an incorrigible rake!" Amelia giggled, "and its amusing as hell to me, don't stop on my account, but do tell Felicia that its over, I don't need her calling here 20 times a day trying to get you on the phone" Walking towards the door to exit, Amelia smirked over her shoulder "By the way, I won the bet with Pam, you lasted longer with this one than she thought, so Thank you"

"You made a bet with my sister on the woman I am dating?" Eric asked in shock

"Oh yeah, your sister and there is an unofficial office pool, I have to look up what my bet was, but I know I won the one with your sister" Amelia shut the door behind her as she walked out of his office.

Victor walked by her then, "Is he in?" he asked hesitating at the shut door.

"Oh yeah, go on in, I just finished going over his flights and all the details with him, Sookie was a wonderful help Victor, she is awesome!" Amelia said smiling at him warmly.

"I wouldn't be where I am now if it wasn't for her" Victor said nodding "I'd be lost without her"

Amelia nodded as Victor walked thru the door of Eric's office.

"Eric" Victor said, as he sat in the chair across the desk.

"Amelia was singing the praises of your Sookie" Eric smiled "I am glad they get along, it will definitely make things easier"

"I agree, Amelia was telling me how helpful Sookie was with your flight" Victor nodded smiling, "I've never known her to have problems with anyone, although we have two clients that I have to keep an eye on" Victor said, frowning slightly.

"Oh?" Eric asked, only slightly curious

"Yes, they are both entirely too interested in her for all the wrong reasons, if you catch my meaning"

"I do, does she indulge these interests? Will it come back to hurt us?"

"No, Sookie, she is a good girl. She is old fashioned, raised in the South, has the best little accent when she gets angry" Victor said, laughing.

"You in love with your assistant?" Eric asked, surprised.

"No, but I do love her. She has been my right arm for 5 years now. Its nice to meet someone like her near DC, it doesn't happen that often." Victor responded.

Eric's cell phone rang then, taking a quick glance at the caller id, he saw that it was Felicia. Sighing loudly he answered, knowing it was going to be unpleasant but needed to be done. While he'd had a good time with her, Felicia wanted more, and Eric just didn't do more. Love was an evil four letter word for Eric Northman. It was a weakness, and something he was not interested in. As long as he was having fun, he stuck around, sometimes for weeks. He'd had special friendship that lasted for almost 8 months, that was unprecedented for him, but it wasn't a relationship, nope, Eric Northman did not do relationships. Not. At. All.

Felicia, she was very attractive. A beautiful brunette, with equally beautiful breasts. She was quite a bit of fun, and enjoyed her sex. Those made her quite compatible with Eric. Compatible until she decided she wanted more than fun times, she wanted to talk about her feelings. That was a warning sign for Eric.

"Felicia, how are you doing today?" he asked, answering his phone, nodding to Victor.

"I'm fine" she purred "when are you getting off? I can't wait to see you"

"I'm flying to DC tonight on a red eye, but I wanted to talk to you before I left" Eric answered "I'll swing by in about an hour"

Eric may not do relationships, and he may be a player, but he never ever ended things on the phone. He always did things face to face. It was the right thing to do, and regardless of his reputation, Eric always tried to do the right thing. It wasn't that he felt like he owed them anything, he always made sure his partners enjoyed themselves, and he always made sure they knew the rules up front, it was more a matter of honor, he tried to treat all of the women the same way he would want to be treated.

Ending the call, he turned his attention back to Victor.

"Are you all packed?" he asked

"I am, do you just want to meet at the airport?" Victor asked

"Yes, I need to tie up some lose ends here" Eric replied

"I hope she takes it well" Victor smirked

"She has no choice but to take it"

Rising from his chair, a grin on his face and shaking his head, Victor walked to the door, "I'll see you at the gate"

Eric nodded and the door shut behind him.

Picking up his desk phone, he called Amelia, "Make arrangements for the usual to be sent to Felicia tomorrow afternoon"

"uh-huh" she replied

"No extra comments" he said, hanging up. He heard her giggle on the other side of his door.

It wasn't until he was seated on the plane with Victor dozing beside him, that he was able to think about what he'd done.

It had been easy really, he'd gone over to Felicia's house and after she let him in, he'd had her sit on the couch. Eric had ignored the fact that she answered the door in her robe, he was sure there was nothing on underneath.

"Felicia, I am going to DC, I'll be gone _at least_ 8 weeks" he started

"Its ok, I'll be here when you get back" she said, trying to snuggle up to him.

Eric got up off the couch then, moving behind the couch, where he could pace, this was where he got to go on auto pilot.

"That is the problem Felicia, we can't do this anymore, it's not fair to you or to me, so, I want you to move on, and find someone who deserves you. What we had, was fun, but we need to look at this as a parting of ways"

Felicia was silent for a moment and Eric waited. As long as she didn't get violent, he would allow her to rage, or to cry, either one he was prepared to deal with.

Instead, Felicia looked at him and quietly said "Get out" her eyes dropping to the floor when she finished speaking.

Eric stood still for a moment, waiting to see if she was going to say anything else and then moved towards the door.

Looking over his shoulder for a moment, he opened the door and walked thru, shutting it behind him. _'That went easier than I'd expected'_ he thought to himself. Making his way to his car, he quickly got in. He never left anything behind, if he stayed over night, he left wearing the same clothes and went home to clean up. It was just easier, that way, if he decided not to go back; he never had to worry about retrieving his belongings.

As he was leaving Felicia's house, he called his sister Pam.

"You're calling me?" Pam asked, shocked "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, I am flying out your way on a red eye tonight, I'll be around for a while, figured we could get together" he replied easily.

"You do realize you are talking to your sister, not one of your Baskin Robbins flavors" she replied

"Oh, that's real nice, and like you are known for your long relationships?" Eric retorted, smiling.

"I don't go thru women like socks ERIC NORTHMAN"

"No you just typically go thru them like tornados, hot and heavy for a while, leaving havoc in your wake and then gone with the wind" he laughed in reply.

"That's it, no Christmas gift for you"

"Uh-huh, I'm concerned, so, dinner or lunch tomorrow? My plane lands at like noon or something"

"Call me when you land and we'll decide then" Pam replied

Eric sighed and looked out the window at the clouds. He wasn't upset about ending things with Felicia; he was upset because he was tired of the game. He'd always wondered what it would be like to have someone to come home to, someone to be with, someone who would know him inside and out. While it was something he wanted, it was also his biggest fear.

Throwing back the last of his drink, Eric leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, hoping to doze a little bit before landing at Washington Dulles and starting the day in Virginia.

They landed at the airport at 11a. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, Eric was able to claim his luggage and make his way to the car rental. Victor was picked up at the airport by his wife.

Eric picked up his BMW rental and following is directions from Amelia and ultimately Sookie, he was at the hotel by 1p. After showering, and unpacking, he called Victor and they made plans to announce the relocation of the company headquarters to the local staff.

Walking over to the office, Eric got badged in and decided to walk the halls of the office to see what the feel was. He was fairly bored until he was walking around the 6th floor. He saw a particularly delectable behind in the air and walked towards it, hoping the rest of the body matched the curves he was now staring at. He waited a moment and cleared his throat.

The moment she turned around, Eric was struggling to catch his breath. His eyes started at her trim ankles and worked their way up, taking in the curvaceous hip, trim waste, the breasts just screaming to be in his hands, and blue eyes that were drinking him in. She was slender, and small, her head barely reaching the top of his chest.

"Can I help you?" the nymph asked.

"Yes, but I think a better question is, can I help you" Eric asked, licking his lips hoping he would be able to taste her.

"Perhaps if you tell me who you are looking for I can tell you what floor they are on?" she replied, her voice tightening, it was all Eric could do to not laugh, she reminded him of an angry kitten.

"I've been looking for you my whole life." He paused hoping for a response. "Why don't you tell me where happy hour is and we can talk about the first thing that pops up"

"I can call security if that would help you" she was angry now, red flushing her face and continuing down her neck _'I wonder how far her blush goes?'_ Eric thought, imagining the look of her body mid-orgasm.

"Only if they look like you" he paused for a moment waiting for her reaction, getting none he asked "Where is the kitchen?"

Nodding when the beautiful nymph pointed down a hallway, he walked away, intent on mapping out where his office would be in relation to his goddess.

Unable to determine where his office or Victor's office was, he shrugged and left the floor, forgetting that he had been in search of Sookie Stackhouse. He was hoping to meet with her briefly so that they could what he was hoping would be a positive rapport. The sooner he could win her over, the sooner his life would be easier. He had done his research; he knew she was a force to be reckoned with in the eyes of his clients. Sookie knew the who's who of DC. If he could ensure she liked him, it would go a long way with his clients. DC was the town of relationships, if you didn't know folks directly, you had to know folks who knew folks, and if you got on the bad side of someone like Sookie, with her connections, it could ruin you before you got started.

His phone rang when he was on the way down in the elevator. It was Pam.

"yes?" he asked answering her call

"I'm outside your new building, come get me" she said

"Be right there" Eric answered closing his phone.

Walking thru the lobby he met her on the sidewalk. After a hug, they got her signed in thru security and made their way to the auditorium. Sookie had sent an email to everyone advising them of his announcement at 3 in the auditorium. She had copied him and Amelia on it, she was definitely efficient.

Standing outside the auditorium with Pam, they were chatting and watching folks file in. Victor smiled as he approached. Eric shook his hand and introduced him to Pam.

"Victor, this is my sister Pam, Pamela, this is Victor Madden" he said, watching the two of them shake hands and exchange pleasantries.

"If you'll excuse me, I am going to grab seats for Sookie and I, she was stuck on the phone when I left to come down here, she may be a bit late" Victor said "I need to introduce you two" he said to Eric, before he walked into the auditorium.

"Who is Sookie?" Pam asked in Swedish with an arched eyebrow.

"His admin and while I am here, my new admin" Eric explained in Swedish "So far, she seems to be impressive, we'll see, I've not met her yet though"

It was then that his nymph got off the elevator walking towards them. Eric was practically drooling as she approached. Neither Pam nor Eric spoke. As she looked like she was going to walk past them, Eric quickly stepped in front of her, gaining her undivided attention.

"I could accuse you of chasing me" he said "Isn't that harassment? I won't tell though, as long as you promise to harass me frequently"

"You know, we should be in the auditorium, there is an important announcement happening."

"OH?" he asked innocently

"Yes, our new CEO is making a statement, and you should be listening, he will be running our company, we need to support him the best way we can" the goddess lectured.

"You are happy about this take over?" he asked

"I have no opinion on the matter, it is my job to make sure my executive is supported to the best of my capabilities and that our CEO makes this transition smoothly so our customers are not impacted. You would think that you, being an employee here would feel the same way"

"Your executive?" he answered, stressing the word your.

"If my executive looks bad then I look bad, so yes, I consider him mine"

Pam stepped forward then, she had been watching the interaction and drew her own conclusions. "That almost sounds like loyalty"

"It is" his goddess replied, her blue eyes meeting Pam's.

Victor walked out into the hall then, "Come on, I saved you a chair, we haven't begun yet" he said his arm reaching out for the blonde woman.

It occurred to Eric in that moment who she was. Oooops.

"Eric, I think that beautiful creature you harassed is your new admin. Way to go brother, I can't wait to watch this unfold" Pam said, gliding into the auditorium.

"Oh Shit" Eric whispered, hearing Pam giggle, he knew she had heard him too.

Taking a deep breath he walked to the stage door and opened it. Walking out onto the stage he thought to himself _'Its possible that she is someone else, she doesn't have to be Sookie' _he hoped silently.

As he arrived at the podium, all doubt removed, sitting directly in front of him, next to Victor was the blonde, and that blonde was Sookie Stackhouse.

'_Fuck me'_ he thought.

Fixing a smile on his face, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her, as he began his speech.

Eric had no problem with public speaking, and made his speech in less than 15 minutes. After the crowds applause was finished, he looked down, hoping to catch Sookie's gaze only to find an empty chair. She was gone and he hadn't had a chance to apologize.

Stepping off the stage, he was caught be several folks, and hoping to bond with the staff he patiently answered as many as he could. It was Pam, appearing at his side, that let him know that he had lost almost an hour with the mingling. Taking Pam by the arm, he made his way to the 6th floor, finding Sookie's desk shut down and Victor sitting in his office.

Knocking on the door, Eric stepped in, "Victor I am sorry to interrupt, but could you show me where my office is?"

"Of course!" Victor said, "Sookie is gone for the day, but I think you are all set up, its just next door" Victor stood up and walked out of his office and indicated the office next to his. "Sookie will be between us, and it will come in handy, I am going to take it easy on her next week, so that you two and get you up and running"

"Oh I think Eric is already up and running, aren't you dear brother?" Pam said, sarcasm dripping from her tone.

Ignoring her, Eric smiled at Victor, "Thank you, I was hoping to meet her, but I got detained downstairs, will she be in on Monday?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, she is usually early, it gives her a chance to sort thru things without me in her hair" Victor replied, smiling.

"I'll just meet her then" Eric nodded, and walked to his office, Pam moving quickly behind him.

"This is delicious Eric, are you going to tell him how you tried to pick up his admin?" she whispered.

"Pam!" Eric replied in warning. "Lets go eat, I'm in the hotel next door, you can drive"

They had dinner at some Mexican place not far from the office and talked about family and the anticipated business Eric was hoping to make.

"How long are you going to stay in the hotel? Are you looking for a corporate apartment?" Pam asked "I know of a nice apartment complex not far from here, we can take a look at them tomorrow if you want"

"That would be great, I want out of the hotel, its nice but I would rather be someplace a bit more permanent" Eric replied

They were walking out to Pam's car then, "Alright, I pick you up tomorrow at 10 and we can take a look, I am sure you'll like it though, they have garages and storage units on site"

As Eric made his way into his room, the exhaustion hit him like a lead balloon. Managing to get out of his pants and shirt, he fell into the bed and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

His weekend was even crazier.

Pam picked him up and took him to breakfast and then over to the apartment complex.

After walking thru several floor plans, Eric decided on one of the three, two bedroom two bathroom floor plan, he was disappointed to find out that the floor plan he preferred was unavailable. After discussing options with the leasing agent, he found a different two bedroom floor plan would be available in two weeks.

"You'll love the privacy of this building Mr. Northman. You'll be on the main level, so no stairs for you to reach your home. Your upstairs neighbors are a lovely older couple. They've been with us for a couple of years. Your downstairs neighbor is a sweet professional woman, she is so quiet you won't even know she's there."

"Great, while I'm relocating from the West coast, I'll be traveling frequently. Quiet when I'm here will just be perfect, who is next to me?"

"You don't have anyone next to you, there is a small breeze way that leads to storage units and garages."

"Is there a garage available for me to rent?" he asked.

"There will be yes! I'll add it to the lease. It will be garage B, that's the middle one. Your downstairs neighbor is A, and the upstairs couple is C."

"That would be delightful. I'll need storage units later, I don't have to add them now do I?"

"Not at all, when you're ready just come in and we can add them" she nodded, "I'll see you in two weeks to sign the lease Mr. Northman!"

Walking out with Pam, Eric sighed and climbed in her car.

"Relax Eric, Virginia isn't that bad, we have seasons here, its not a perpetual spring, you'll like winter" she reassured.

"I'm just tired thinking about everything I have to get done in the coming months Pam" Eric put his sunglasses on and looked around. "I have to rely on Victor to get me in to those clients. I can't do it on my own and I don't like depending on anyone"

"Its DC, Eric. Everything here is based on who you know, and if you don't know anyone, you don't get in. Give it some time; in a year, you'll be part of the boys club"

"I hope so" Eric replied, looking at all the people around the pool. "I don't understand how so many people can live here, and there isn't much to do"

"Welcome to the 'burbs Eric Northman, CEO, resident bad boy, playa extraordinaire" Pam replied a smirk taking over her features. "This commute will take you about 30 minutes depending on what time you leave to go to your office, and don't be fooled brother, traffic here will rival the crap you deal with in California"

"Seriously?" he asked looking at her.

"Oh yeah, I live in Georgetown just to avoid the traffic here"

"Crap, I thought things were supposed to be better on the East Coast"

"HAHAHA it is it just depends on what you are looking for, but this isn't just the East Coast, this is DC, its fast and you either sink or swim here. You'll do just fine"

They had lunch and Pam dropped him off at his hotel.

Eric plugged in his laptop and started looking at the home listings Amelia had been sending him.

Getting thru his weekend, Eric managed to acclimate to the time zone and weather, it was much more humid in VA than it was in CA.

His alarm went off at 5:30am Monday morning. Choosing his navy suit and white dress shirt, Eric grabbed his tie and suit jacket along with his laptop case and made his way to the office.

It was 6:15 when he made it to the 6th floor and found Sookie in the kitchen humming to herself and making coffee.

"Good Morning Miss Stackhouse, I don't think we were introduced properly on Friday, my name is Eric Northman. I look forward to working with you, Amelia has been telling me how helpful you have been to her"

He saw her back stiffen when she heard his voice. He was almost drooling as he saw her legs peeking out of her blue skirt. Her blonde hair was hanging down her back covering most of her light blue sweater top.

She turned slightly and looked at him, "Good Morning Mr. Northman, the coffee will be ready soon. If you'll excuse me, I have some emails I need to read at my desk" and she walked off.

Eric started to comment about her bare feet, but thought better of it given their last meeting on Friday.

* * *

**AN: Before anyone panics, I am not stopping on It Begins. This was something I had actually written first, and to be honest its almost complete, but I was overtaken by It Begins and published it first. I just wanted to see how this would go over with everyone, I hope you enjoy :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Just a warning - there is language in this chapter - if name calling offends you - don't read it**

* * *

Chapter 3

Sookie woke up Monday morning at 4:30. It was earlier than her normal time, but she had left the office early on Friday and she needed to get thru her email, and prep Victor's email.

Her weekend had been calm and relaxing. She spent Saturday running her errands, grocery store, dry cleaner, post office. Sunday she spent cleaning her apartment, doing laundry and cooking for the week ahead, she typically took in left over's for lunch, it saved time, gave her a chance to handle the office while Victor was out.

After her shower, she left her hair down, and pulling on her panties, got her bra fastened and pulled on a slip. Deciding on a navy blue straight skirt and her pale blue short sleeve sweater, she slipped into her favorite black heels. Fastening her fake black pearls around her neck, she put her matching earrings in and was out the door with her laptop and lunch by 5:15.

Parking in the executive parking garage under the building, Sookie badged in and took the elevator straight to the 6th floor. The sun was still coming up as she walked to her desk and docked her laptop. Turning it on, she kicked off her shoes, leaving them under her desk and walked into the kitchen barefoot. Her mood light, she was humming to herself and smiling, the routine of her day bringing her comfort.

She was running thru a mental checklist of things she needed to check on and write down when she heard his voice behind her. It startled her so much; she almost dropped the coffee maker.

"Good Morning Miss Stackhouse, I don't think we were introduced properly on Friday, my name is Eric Northman. I look forward to working with you; Amelia has been telling me how helpful you have been to her."

Sookie almost fainted. Of all the people to catch her off guard, in a kitchen with her shoes under her desk, it had to be him, damnit all to hell. Her back straightening she finished setting up the coffee and managed to not run away.

She managed to turn slightly; meeting his eyes she replied "Good Morning Mr. Northman, the coffee will be ready soon. If you'll excuse me, I have some emails I need to read at my desk"

Sookie almost ran down the hall to her desk, slipping her shoes on, she was walking into Victor's office when Eric walked around the corner and opened his office.

She almost cursed out loud as she sat at Victor's desk; he hadn't taken his laptop home so she powered it on and logged him in. Opening her daytimer, she turned on his phone and started writing down his voicemails.

Opening his calendar she noticed that he had blocked the entire morning to work from home. Walking back out to her desk, daytimer in hand, she started going thru her email, finding one from him telling her he was going to be home all of Monday morning and that she needed to help Eric get adjusted to the office.

"Miss Stackhouse?" called the voice in the office slightly behind her. Sookie closed her eyes for a moment, steadying her nerves; she plastered a false smile on her face, grabbed her daytimer and walked into his office.

"Yes Mr. Northman?" she answered.

He had his back to her when she first walked in, and swiveled in his chair when he heard her voice behind him.

"Can you help me get my voicemail set up?" he asked smiling.

Sookie nodded "I have directions at my desk, let me make you a copy and bring it in for you" she said writing it down in her daytimer.

"Thank you; can you also print my calendar for the day? And get me directions to my lunch appointment? And then directions to my two o'clock? I am meeting Victor outside the client's office."

Sookie just nodded and continued writing. When she was done, she looked up and saw him smiling at her.

"Do you need anything else Mr. Northman?" she asked

"Do you carry that everywhere?" he asked smiling

"It keeps me prioritized and as a result it keeps Victor on top of everything" she responded with irritation in her voice.

"I've upset you, I'm sorry. I know I was not on my best behavior Friday Miss Stackhouse, I apologize for that" he said

"Let me just get started on the day Mr. Northman" Sookie said rising from her chair.

"You won't accept my apology?" he asked, an eyebrow arching

"Mr. Northman, I refuse to acknowledge what went on Friday. I don't need your apology, I need you to be the CEO of this company so that I can keep my job" she said not looking at him as she walked to the door "I realize you are new here Mr. Northman, but I don't appreciate you treating me like I am some female you met in a bar. I work for Victor Madden sir and I expect you to treat me like the lady I am." Sookie knew her accent was heavy in her voice, the only time she couldn't keep it hidden was when she was angry, and right now she was pissed.

"I was trying to apologize for that Miss Stackhouse, and you don't want to accept my apology?"

"No" she replied, walking out the door to her desk.

Sookie managed to find her voicemail directions and made a photocopy. Printing his calendar and all the directions he requested, she gathered the papers together and walked into his office, setting them on his desk, she turned around and walked away.

"Is this how you are going to act while I am here Miss Stackhouse?" Eric asked before she reached the door.

"I don't know what you mean Mr. Northman, I did what you requested and now I have things to do for Victor, if you need me I'll be at my desk" she answered walking away.

* * *

Eric couldn't help but grin, his little nymph was actually a minx, and she had a temper. Her southern accent was adorable; it made him think about her tongue, and wondered what she could do with it.

'_Eric Northman, she works for you, you don't do employees'_ he thought to himself, shaking his head _'but I wonder what she would be like doing me'_

Looking at his calendar, and reviewing the directions he set them under his car keys and blackberry.

Reading the voicemail directions he started to reach for the phone and then smirked, '_I can have a little fun'_ he thought. Giggling to himself, he called out "Miss Stackhouse, could you please help me with these voicemail directions? I don't think I can do it on my own."

He heard her sigh from his desk. It was all he could do to not laugh outloud. When he sat back in his chair, he noticed he could see her from behind. Her legs, crossed at the ankle under her desk, her shoes just in front of them. She really did have beautiful legs, _'they would look so good wrapped around my waist'_ he thought.

* * *

Sookie was moving quickly thru her email, Victor was going to be testifying before Congress next week and she was intent on moving his appointments around when she heard him thru the wall.

"Miss Stackhouse, could you please help me with these voicemail directions? I don't think I can do it on my own."

'_Arrogant son-of-a-bitch'_ she thought to herself, not noticing the sigh she let slip out of her mouth_. 'Like I have nothing to do other than hold the hand of an ignorant damn executive who can't find his way out of a wet paper bag' _standing she went into his office.

"I'm sorry, was the sheet not clear enough, I know sometimes it can be hard to get things going at first" she said, trying to be patient. Her fake smile fixed on her face.

Eric struggled to maintain his composure, knowing he had gotten under her skin.

"I'm sorry Miss Stackhouse, I seem to be distracted today, do you have time to show me how to get this accomplished?" he asked, biting his tongue to keep from smirking as he saw her jaw tighten.

Walking over, Sookie stood beside him and turned on the speakerphone. Going thru the steps she guided him through the set up.

Once the task was complete, Sookie practically ran out of his office. She was almost late for her 9:30 meeting. She was sitting in for Victor on a bid/no bid meeting for a particular contract.

Grabbing her daytimer, she set her locked her pc, and moved down the hall, never noticing the man behind her following her into the conference room. It wasn't until he sat down beside her that she noticed Eric.

"I didn't realize you were attending this meeting Miss Stackhouse" he said as he turned his chair to face her.

"I am attending for Victor" she replied, her smile cold as she looked at him "I attend all bid/no bids for him and make my recommendations to him based on specific data"

"I would be very interested in hearing or reading your reports in the future Miss Stackhouse, may I have a copy of them when you submit to Victor?"

"You will have to ask him for them Mr. Northman, it is up to him not me" she replied smoothly

Eric almost fell out of his chair laughing at her prim response, 'she is incredibly protective, interesting' he thought to himself.

"Alright Miss Stackhouse, in the future, I'd like to request a status report from you on your daily activities, that way I can stay in tuned with what goes on in the office" he replied, smiling at her.

"You want me to detail my daily activities for you?" she asked incredulously "All of my activities?"

"Yep" he said almost laughing, he knew it was almost impossible to capture everything an admin did, but he was enjoying pushing her buttons too much to let up now.

"Alright Mr. Northman, I can do that" she said smiling tightly, "I'll send you one tonight"

Sookie sat in her chair fuming_. 'He wants to know everything I do, alright, I'll tell him everything I do, jackass, but I am not helping him do his job'_ she thought to herself. _'I'll need to talk to Victor about this'_

Sitting thru the meeting Sookie was quiet until the partner went around the table taking a vote. After doing a quick tally on the figures and the R.O.I (return on investment) Sookie decided it should be a no bid. She thought there chances of actually winning the work after spending close to a million dollars was slim to none, she was fully prepared to back up her opinion with the facts that she had, but Eric merely agreed with her when it was his turn to vote.

* * *

Eric was quite surprised when Sookie voted no bid on the contract. After hearing all the arguments around the table, he knew after 10 minutes he thought it was a waste of time, but he was curious to hear how Sookie had come to the same decision.

She further surprised him when she proposed joining with a separate company on a joint bid.

"I think we should partner with Synergistic. I know they are planning on going after this work, we should try a teaming agreement with them, even if we only get 10% of the business it would be total revenue" she said to the table, looking at everyone but Eric "I'll discuss it with Victor and have him send out an email with all the facts and figures" she advised them, writing in her daytimer.

The meeting was brought to an end several minutes later; Eric was rising out of his chair and eager to catch Sookie as she walked down the hall to her desk.

"Miss Stackhouse? I'd like to talk to you about your recommendation if you don't mind" he said trying to catch up with her flying feet.

"I have several things I need to complete Mr. Northman, what exactly would you like to know?" she asked, not stopping as she made her way down the hall, stepping around her desk to sit in her chair.

"I'd like to know why you decided to no-bid and where you came up with the idea to team with Synergistic" he replied, staring down at her, trying to meet her gaze.

Sookie refused to look up from her computer screen "Mr. Northman, I have several things I need to complete today and in addition to those I now have to document every thing I do in order to complete a report for you by the end of the day, if you don't mind, I'd rather not discuss my opinions. If you have any questions or objections, please discuss them with Victor. He is available by email" she replied, rising from her chair and walking into Victor's office shutting the door behind her.

Eric's temper got the best of him then; she had just told him she was too busy to answer his questions. He was the CEO, she was just an admin, an executive assistant, and she just told him she was too busy?

Flipping the door open, he stood in the doorway, his voice tight and low as he spoke "Miss Stackhouse, I realize we may not have gotten off on the best foot, however, I will not tolerate you telling me you do not have time to answer my questions. I will remind you that you are an _assistant_ in this company and that I am the CEO."

"Fine Mr. Northman what would you like to know?" she replied just as tightly, refusing to look at him.

"I would like you to at least look at me when I am speaking to you" he answered

Turning Sookie looked at him, "yes?"

"Why did you decide to no bid?" he asked

"Because based on the criteria my boss gave me it was a bad investment" she replied easily

"That is the only reason?" he demanded knowing she was lying to him

"Yes Mr. Northman, sir, that is the only reason Mr. Northman sir" she replied "Is there anything else I can do for you Mr. Northman sir?"

"How did you know about Synergistic?" he demanded, his anger growing with her attitude.

"It was something Victor told me Mr. Northman sir." Sookie replied her smile frozen on her face, her eyes not blinking.

She sounded like a robot and she knew it, so did Eric and it did nothing but anger him further.

"Cut the attitude Miss Stackhouse"

"What attitude Mr. Northman sir?"

Walking away, Eric sighed loudly "This won't do Miss Stackhouse"

Sookie turned back to the pc in front of her. Intent on finishing her analysis for Victor, she provided him with the details she had on Synergistic's. She had made friends with Indira, Bill Compton's admin, and they had talked about the potential bid Synergistic was going to be making for the business.

Eric sat in his office fuming. Not only had Sookie irritated him, but she was lying to him also. She had reasons for submitting a no-bid and he wanted to know what they were, how she had determined that the business would be a loss for them. How did she know about the Synergistic bid? Why had everyone else at the table taken her advice to heart? What exactly did she know and how did she know it?

It also infuriated him to know that the harder he tried to be nice to her, the more difficult she seemed to make it for him. She was almost rude to him, dismissing him as though he reported to her and not the other way around.

Noting the time, he got up, grabbing his directions and keys to make his way to his meetings. "I'm leaving Miss Stackhouse" he called standing outside his door. He got no response even though he knew she had heard him. Walking away, he made his way to his rental car and onto his lunch appointment.

Sookie finished her email summary to Victor and sent it off. After finishing his calendar changes, and adjusting his speech, he'd left his changes on her chair; she made her way to the kitchen. Refilling her coffee cup, she stomped back to her desk_. 'This cannot continue, we are just going to have to figure something out'_ she thought to herself, noting the time and writing it down. She got up to go to the restroom, hoping the break away from her little area would break her mindset and focus on Eric Northman.

She was back at her desk when she saw Eric's line ring. Ignoring it, she shifted her focus back to her computer; she had been working on Victor's speech. Her direct line rang then. With a sigh, she answered her phone "The Patriot this is Sookie Stackhouse"

"You aren't answering my phone?" it was Eric.

It was all Sookie could do to not throw the phone through the window beside her desk.

"Sorry Mr. Northman sir, I was on Victor's phone and I didn't see your line light up" she lied "I also didn't realize you wanted me to answer your phone Mr. Northman sir, you never told me of your expectations Mr. Northman sir"

"Stop it Miss Stackhouse" he commanded

"Stop what Mr. Northman sir?"

"Can you please call my lunch appointment and let them know I am running late but I am enroute?"

"Yes Mr. Northman sir, Is there anything else I can do for you Mr. Northman sir?"

"No Miss Stackhouse that is quite enough" he growled hanging up the phone.

Sookie made the call and sent all three lines to voicemail so she wouldn't have to deal with him again. Victor had her cell phone in case of an emergency and he would never question her need to be away from the phone.

She managed to heat up her lunch at 2, and actually ate some as she worked through the day. It was close to 7 when she finished all her work and the report for Eric. Attaching it to an email with a copy to Victor she hit send and leaned back in her chair.

She sent a new email to Victor, telling him that the next time he was in the office; they would need to discuss her work load. She had no intention of continuing her support of Mr. Eric-fucking-Northman, but she didn't include that, she just told Victor to make sure they could talk. After hitting send, she shut down for the day, deciding to handle their voicemails tomorrow.

Locking her laptop in Victor's office, she grabbed her purse and travel mug and made her way to the elevators. She was in the garage making her way to her car when she saw Eric pull up in his rental.

Eric was surprised to see Sookie walking to her car at 7 at night. He knew she had beaten him into the office this morning.

"Miss Stackhouse?" he called out

Sookie turned then, looking at him, her eyes full of anger "Mr. Northman, it is well passed quitting time, I am going home, whatever it is you need, send me an email and I will deal with it tomorrow, goodnight" she said, turning and walking towards her car.

"I just wanted to ask –" he said

"I don't care Mr. Northman, we are on my time now, and I am busy" she interrupted, getting in her car and shutting the door.

Eric was a bit shocked as he watched her pull away. _'I guess I pushed her buttons the wrong way'_ he thought as he walked into the building.

He was sitting in front of his pc, reading her report when he was glad she was gone, because if she was still at her desk he was certain he would have rung her neck.

9:30 – meeting for bid/no bid

10:15 – meeting ended

10:20 – Mr. Northman commanded Miss Stackhouse to detail her decision to no bid on deal in meeting

10:30 – Mr. Northman left office

10:35 – Miss Stackhouse got coffee and went to the restroom

10:45 – Miss Stackhouse back at her desk,

10:48 – Miss Stackhouse answered Victor's phone

11:00 – Mr. Northan called Miss Stackhouse, needed her to inform his lunch appointment he was running late

11:05 – Miss Stackhouse called lunch appointment

11:06 - Miss Stackhouse worked on project for Victor

11:08 – Miss Stackhouse answered Victors phone, made calendar changes for meeting next week

11:10 Miss Stackhouse worked on project for Victor

She had detailed her _entire_ damn day. It was about 10 minutes later his cell phone rang, it was Victor.

"Hello Victor, how's it goin?" he asked

"Should I ask what you've done to upset Sookie?" Victor asked, almost smiling.

"Why do you think I've upset her?" Eric asked, curious.

"I just read her email detailing her entire day Eric, and it was followed by another email from her telling me that she and I needed to talk when I was in the office next. I know her; you have managed to piss her off" Victor said laughing "Why don't you tell me what you've done so I can fix it. If there is anyone in this town you don't want against you, it's Sookie, Eric"

"She is your admin, Victor"

"Eric, this is DC. The businesses here, the government, its run by the admins, not the executives. We are just hollow figure heads. They control our lives, my friend, I cannot have Sookie upset with you, if it gets out, you will not succeed with the clients, and they LOVE her. She knows them all, their birthdays, their kids, their kids birthdays, the anniversaries, all of it." Victor said with a giggle, "she got me nominated on my executive of the year award because she suggested it kindly to the committee chair's admin"

"You're telling me that the Federal Government is run by a bunch of secretaries?" Eric asked, disbelieving.

"I'm telling you, I know you are used to Hollywood, and the way things are done there, but its not like that here, Eric. Things are very conservative. You cannot sleep your way into contracts here, it's not the same"

"I am not going to bow to the whim of a secretary Victor, I am the CEO" he rationalized.

"I am not telling you to, I am telling you that a certain amount of finesse is necessary here. What has happened?"

"Nothing" Eric replied

* * *

Sookie drove home, trying to not drive everyone off the road in the process, she was so mad she could spit nails.

"How dare he treat me like I'm just a slave" she said outloud.

Pulling into her garage, she made her way through her breezeway, stopping to check her mail as she walked downstairs into her apartment.

Bella was waiting for her by the front door. Sookie's anger was gone, the minute she looked down at her green eyes. "Hi my baby girl" she said warmly, bending to pick her up.

The purr that started as Bella snuggled into her, helped evaporate any anger that was left over.

"My poor little girl, what did you do today?" Sookie asked, setting her down on her bed, as she changed into her nightgown, hanging up her clothes in the closet.

She got a high pitched meow in return to her question. Bella was a talker, which made her the perfect companion for Sookie.

Making her way into the kitchen, Bella close on her heels, she opened a can of cat food and set it down for her. Sookie made herself a small sandwich and went back to her bedroom. She didn't normally eat in bed, but her exhaustion was taking over, and she wanted nothing more than to cuddle up in bed and fall asleep. Which is exactly what she did, what she didn't expect was to have dreams about a certain pair of blue eyes, or a certain pair of broad shoulders.

Sookie ended up waking up several times through out the night, much to her frustration.

It was close to 2 am when she got up in frustration, "Oh hell no, he is not ruining a good nights sleep for me" she mumbled, walking into her kitchen to set her coffee maker up for the auto timer.

Stumbling back to bed, she pulled Bella close to her as she tried to fall back to sleep. The problem was, as soon as she did fall asleep, those damn blue eyes were there to haunt her.

Sookie managed to get another 2 hours under her belt before she got up in frustration. Throwing herself into the shower, she tried to wash the problem away. It didn't work.

Wrapping herself in a towel, she walked into her kitchen, pouring her coffee into her travel mug and making sure Bella had food and water for the day, she stumbled back into her room. Bella had moved onto her pillow when she'd gotten in the shower.

Pulling on her underclothes and her slip, Sookie started fussing with her hair. After getting it dry, she pulled it back into a French twist and secured it with a few pins. Walking into her closet, she pulled out her black straight skirt and red short sleeve sweater. Clasping her fake pearls and matching earrings on, Sookie slid into her pumps and made her way out the door with her keys, purse and coffee in hand.

She arrived at the office at 5am, hoping for some solitude so she could get some work done before she had to face dumbass. It was the nickname she had started to not-so-affectionately call Mr. Northman. "Dumbass" she muttered as she stopped in the kitchen to make coffee. It surprised her when she found a fresh pot already made. Walking down the hall to her desk, she noticed all the lights on. Pausing she sighed to herself, _'please no, not yet, dear lord in heaven, I just need a few minutes' _she said in her head.

Sadly, Sookie was not going to be that lucky, Dumbass was sitting at his desk, anxiously waiting for her to walk down the hall.

'_I can control myself, I can control myself, I am a lady, I will act like one, I will act like a lady'_ she kept telling herself as she walked to her desk. She put her purse into the normal drawer and walked into Victor's office to grab her laptop. It wasn't until she started to log in that she heard what she had been dreading.

"Miss Stackhouse?"

So much for peace and quiet.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sookie was not the only one who'd had a night from hell.

Eric had gotten maybe 4 hours of sleep himself. He was too pissed off to try to sleep even longer.

Sookie Stackhouse – demon spawn. What the fuck? Body of an angel, mind of the devil.

Her email to Victor had caused a small problem with him and Victor. Until Eric informed him that he would take care of it. He wasn't trying to drive her nuts; she just managed to react to him in a way that pissed him off. He wasn't used to this reserved nature she had, she was so cold. _'I bet she is frigid'_ he thought to himself.

'_She's probably a dead lay without an ounce of warmth in that body of hers'_ even though he was telling himself that, the problem was Eric didn't really believe it.

Eric had gotten up at 4am and was in the office by 4:30. He'd pulled out his black suit and white shirt, throwing his tie and suit jacket over his arm he'd walked next door and started the coffee. He'd watched Sookie make it the day before and it wasn't hard to figure out.

Sitting in his office, he managed to get through some of his 300 emails by the time she walked down the hall at 5. He waited for her to get set up and sit down before he called her.

"Miss Stackhouse?"

He heard her grind her teeth as she grabbed her daytimer and walked to his office.

"Yes Mr. Northman?" she asked as she walked in.

"Why don't you start calling me Eric? We are going to be working together quite a bit" he offered

"I prefer Mr. Northman, if you don't mind. I don't know you enough to give you leave to use my first name" Sookie replied coolly

"I was hoping we could go to lunch today, I think we've gotten off on the wrong foot and I'd like to start over" he said, leaning back in his chair

"I don't think so Mr. Northman, I do not socialize with my co-workers, if there is nothing else you need, I must get my day started" she said rising from the chair she had taken a seat in.

"I am trying to make a peace offering" he said as she got to the door.

"I have no use for _anything_ you have to offer Mr. Northman, if you'll excuse me" she said, walking back out to her desk.

She heard him rise and walk to the door and she saw Sam walk down the hall.

"Hey Sooks" he called smiling as he saw her.

"Hey Sam" she said rising, a smile on her face, she rushed to hug him, "How have you been? How are the kids? I didn't see you yesterday!"

Sam hugged her back and squeezed her hand as she stepped away "It was great Sookie – you were right about taking them to the zoo!" he said sitting in the chair she kept by her desk.

Eric stood just inside his doorway, out of sight as he listened to the conversation. Surprised at the warmth she had displayed when greeting the security guard.

"Did they have fun? Oh did you take pictures" she asked excitedly

"I did! They had a great time! Bethy loved the monkeys, she wants to be one when she grows up, and Tony wants to be a zookeeper" Sam replied laughing, "What are you doing here so early, cher? I know you work late, but you can't be sleeping well if you are getting here before 5 and leaving after 7" he said concern evident in his tone, "that apartment of yours is a good 30 minutes away, are you resting enough?"

"I'm fine Sam, but thank you for caring, its been a rough few weeks, and its only going to get worse as we move forward" she said, her voice barely a whisper, Eric had to struggle to hear it.

"What's wrong? That Bill Compton isn't giving you a hard time again is he? I'll talk to Victor myself if he is. We have no use for that here." Sam said sternly.

"No, no it's nothing like that" Sookie whispered, "tell me though, did the kids like the presents I sent?"

"They did, I have thank you pictures in my office for you, stop by at lunch and I'll give them to ya" he said smiling "You wanna grab chow in the cafeteria today? They are doin' that Taco Salad you like so much, we can catch up then, I think they are looking for me downstairs" Sam said

"It's a date" Sookie promised "I'll stop by your office when I get free" Eric heard, a pang of anger flying through him. She would go to lunch with a damn security guard, but he, Eric Northman CEO, she refused to be seen with in public.

'_That's it she is truly demon spawn'_ he thought to himself.

Watching them hug again as Sam walked off, Eric was quickly losing control on his anger. Stepping out of his office he stood in the doorway.

"You hugged him" he hissed

"That is none of your business Mr. Northman" she replied not turning around. Sookie's cell phone rang then.

"Good Morning Victor" she said answering it as Eric stood in his doorway.

"I understand, I'll let him know….yes…..yes we can talk later, no worries, my love to Sandy, I hope she feels better, let me know if you need anything and I'll keep an eye on email….I did incorporate your changes, did you get them….alright, I'll print out the new copy and make the changes, you know its not a problem at all….I'll attend the 2p for you also….ok ….call if you need me" Sookie closed her phone then.

Without turning her head, she spoke outloud "Victor won't be in today, his wife Sandy is not feeling well and he is staying with her" she said.

"Miss Stackhouse do you make it a habit of being affectionate with your co-workers?" he demanded

"My behavior with people is none of your concern Mr. Northman sir" she said

"Will you at least give me the respect of looking at me when you speak to me?" he demanded

"Respect is earned, not given" she said rising from her chair, locking her pc and walking down the hall.

"Where are you going?"

Sookie stopped, her shoulder squaring in her anger. She turned on her heel walking back to him, looking his square in the eye, her hands on her hips.

"I, Mr. Northman sir, am going down the hall to the ladies room, where I intend to pee in the toilet and flush when I am done. I intend to wash my hands, dry them, walk thru the kitchen, check the coffee and supplies and come back to my desk, Mr. Northman sir, if that is a problem you can damn well shove it up your ass" she said, her voice rising as she spoke each word.

Turning she stomped down the hall ignoring him as he giggled.

Eric was overcome with the absurdity of the situation as he watched her hips swing in anger as she stomped away.

"I stand corrected Sookie, you are not a frigid little woman, you are hot as hell" he whispered, his eyebrow arching as he leaned against the doorway. "Hot as hell, and quite a passionate little minx" he said, his tongue licking his upper lip as he finished his sentence.

Sookie managed to get into the bathroom without screaming the building down. Washing her hands she took a look at herself in the mirror "Maybe I am being too hard on him" she said out loud, a pang of guilt washing over her. "But they warned me not to give an inch, if I forgive him, he will just get worse and what if I like him then?" Sookie was pleading with her image in the mirror hoping for answers that she wasn't going to get.

Opening the door, she walked back down the hall to her desk.

Eric was waiting.

"Miss Stackhouse, we are going to discuss this, we have got to work together and this cannot continue"

"Mr. Northman, I see no reason for us to do anything. I will stand in for your assistant while you are here, but there is no reason for us to socialize. Nothing good can come of it, and I have no desire to further my knowledge of you. Please find some other female to cast your attention on and we will get along just fine." Sookie answered quietly

"My attention?" Eric asked

"Yes Mr. Northman, your attention, I do not desire it, at all. Now if you please, I am sure you will find some other female to be a notch on your bedpost, I have work to do, I am, trying to ensure that Victor's speech is good for his Congressional testimony next week, and I need to focus to get it done" she said, turning her back to dismiss him.

"We will have lunch and discuss this" he said, walking towards his office.

"No thank you, I already have plans with Sam, I need to discuss security with him anyway, we will be having new badges issued as the merger moves forward, we will need to discuss the branding and other details"

"Well then I will join you" he answered

"You weren't invited Mr. Northman, if you would like to meet with Sam, I will inform him so that we can carve out some time on your calendar"

Sookie rose from her desk then, walking into Victor's office she shut the door and began working on his speech.

It was almost 1p before she got a chance to stop. Picking up the phone, she dialed Sam's extension and agreed to meet him in the cafeteria.

Taking the elevator down, she found Sam waiting for her as she exited. Sam could tell by looking at her that she was upset, he just gave her hand a squeeze and they walked thru the line together, making small talk about the weekend and the kids.

Sookie made it thru the line before Sam did, she grabbed silverware for both of them and then turned to look for a table in the dining room and almost dropped her tray.

Eric Northman, CEO, playboy, was sitting at a table, surrounded by women, they were all laughing and carrying on, smiles and giggles everywhere. As he looked up and saw her standing there. His eyes holding her gaze, his eyebrow arching up over one eye as if challenging her.

Sookie squared her shoulders, and moved forward, ignoring the display in front of her. Grabbing a table in a corner, she waved to Sam as he walked out, indicating the silverware she had grabbed for him.

* * *

Eric watched Sookie shut the door to Victor's office, and he left her alone.

He went back to his office mumbling about Satan and demon spawn as he sat down in his chair. A thought occurring to him as he did so, she wants to see a notch on a bedpost? Well I will show her a notch on the bedpost.

It was a small voice inside of him that was driving him nuts_, 'Why the hell is this woman bugging me? I've already apologized and she had decided to not accept it, case closed, move on. There will be another to fill the space!'_ he thought happily_, 'damnit why doesn't it feel right? That crazy witch is just wearing off on me, 2 days and she is driving me fucking nuts'_

Checking out a few more listings online, he decided to go investigate the cafeteria for lunch. When he sat down and the first woman came over, he knew what was going on. It wasn't until he was surrounded that he realized how it must look, but after Sookie treating him like a rag for 2 days, he decided to just enjoy the feelings and go with the flow for a little bit. He had no intention of pursuing anything with any of the women, but Sookie had no way of knowing that when she saw him sitting there, a woman curled up under each of his arms.

The look on her face shocked him. He started to get up, intending on explaining the situation to her, when he realized what he was doing_ 'I don't owe her an explanation, she didn't even accept my apology'_ he thought, his eyes meeting hers. _'Watch this Sookie Stackhouse'_ he thought, his hand trailing over the shoulders of the woman on his right, his gaze never leaving Sookie's as the woman ran her hand across his chest.

He knew he should stop it, he knew it was a bad idea, but the anger Sookie had ignited in him kept him from stopping, in fact it encouraged him, his desire to reject her as she had rejected him, set him on fire.

Sookie sat at the table with Sam unable to focus on the conversation, her eyes kept moving back to Eric. _'I was so right about him'_ she thought, fighting tears off. She'd wanted to be wrong, she'd wanted to apologize to him, tell him it was all a misunderstanding, she was wrong and had misjudged him, but looking at him across the cafeteria, she realized just how right she had been. Her instincts weren't wrong after all.

Sam watched. He watched Eric stare at Sookie and he watched Sookie stare at Eric. It was like they were in a stare down. Whoever looked away first was going to lose.

Eric's eyebrow kept arching over his eye, as he held Sookie's gaze. His judgment firm in his face, his jaw setting.

Sookie's anger evident in her grinding teeth, and her inability to pick up her silverware and eat her lunch. Her breathing was getting more ragged, and Sam was worried at one point she was going to hyperventilate.

"Sookie?" Sam asked, waiting her to turn her attention to him, "Sookie?" He asked, touching her hand.

"I'm sorry Sam, I'm just distracted today." She said smiling her apology, smoothing her hair as she struggled to maintain her composure.

"Why don't you talk to him?" Sam offered

"To who?" Sookie asked, trying to ignore the man staring at her across the room.

"The man you are trying to ignore, cher, I know you and you aren't succeeding, what's going on?" Sam asked gently.

"I'm not ready to talk about it yet" Sookie said, "I gotta get back, I need to finish the speech" Sookie said quietly, rising from her seat, tossing her untouched salad into the trash.

It was all she could do to walk back to the elevators and not run.

Making it back to Victors office, she packed up for the day, sending an email for Victor letting him know she wasn't feeling well and she was leaving early, she would make herself available to him from home if needed and she would finish his speech changes and email it back to him that evening.

It took her all of 2 minutes to undock, pack her things and run down the stairs, she couldn't bear the thought of facing Eric again. It had just been too much. "I'm tired and I need some sleep" she told herself, "After a good nights sleep things will be better."

* * *

Eric watched Sookie all but run from the dining room, and it upset him. The fact that it bothered him managed to piss him off. Rising a few moments later, he bid a good afternoon to the ladies and made his way to the elevators.

Sam was standing there, waiting for an elevator to take him downstairs when he noticed Eric.

"She isn't used to it" Sam said, not looking at the other man

"I beg pardon?" Eric said.

"She isn't used to it, Sookie is used to dealing with certain situations a certain way, and when you break her out of her mold, she freezes and falls back on her formality. She was taught formality and manners will get you thru any situation, what she doesn't understand is that folks perceive her as cold. She isn't cold Mr. Northman, she is a wonderful warm caring person, she was just raised with the rules of a society that doesn't exist anymore."

The elevator opened then, and the down arrow lit up. Sam stepped into it, meeting Eric's gaze for the first time. Nodding her pressed his button and said nothing else.

The other elevator opened then and Eric walked in pressing 6. Sam's words echoing in his head as he made his way down the hall, his surprise evident at the darkened area. Victor's door was closed, his office dark, Sookie's laptop was gone, her desk was dark and all her drawers were shut. Her daytimer was gone also.

Reading his email, he saw a short one from her:

To: Eric Northman

CC: Victor Madden

From: Sookie Stackhouse

Dear Mr. Northman,

I'm sorry I wasn't able to tell you in person, but I'm not feeling well and I've gone home for the day. I should be in tomorrow.

Thank you,

Sookie Stackhouse

Well. SHIT.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sookie managed to get home and completed the speech for Victor. She didn't hear from him after she got home.

She shut off her laptop and crawled into bed. Hoping for some peace and quiet so she could think, she groaned as her cell phone rang. It was her Uncle Bartlett.

"Hello Uncle Bartlett, how are you doin?" she asked

"I'm fine darlin', I wanted to check on you, how is it goin up there in DC? You avoiding the Northman boy like a good girl?" he asked

"Yes Uncle Bartlett, I am working with him, but I'm keeping his at arms length, just like you said, I don't want to be like Becky" she replied, her chest tightening as she did so.

Uncle Bartlett was her Gran's brother, they had been close when she was younger, but as she grew up, she saw less and less of him.

Sookie and her brother Jason were taken in when their parents died, Sookie was 7 and Jason was 9. Gran had taken them both in after the accident, Uncle Bartlett had visited frequently until she was about 10, then he abruptly stopped coming by, he would call every now and then and always sent Sookie gifts for her birthday and holidays, but she didn't see him.

"Very good baby, I knew you wouldn't throw away your future on a man the way Becky did. She is due any day now, I'll have her call you when the baby is born" Uncle Bartlett told her.

"Alright Uncle Bartlett, I gotta go, I need to get up early in the morning" Sookie told him.

They exchanged a few more pleasantries and got off the phone.

Sookie's cousin Becky, was Uncle Bartlett's daughter. She had gone to California over a year ago and returned only a few months ago with extra baggage. She was pregnant, and without a husband. In DC, no one would have thought anything of it, but in the backwater town Sookie had been raised it, it was all the talk, and Becky was ruined.

Uncle Bartlett had finally told Sookie about Becky and her claims on how a certain Eric Northman had seduced her and when she had confessed her pregnancy to him, he'd sent her home, denying he'd even known her.

Sookie had just learned of the merger then, and when she realized it was the same Eric Northman she was in a state of panic. After meeting him, Sookie had realized how Becky had gotten into her situation, he had obviously taken advantage of her poor cousin, and when it was time to pay the piper, he'd sent her home so he could move onto his next conquest. Amelia hadn't helped when she had started telling Sookie how her boss moved thru women like socks.

Bella jumped up on the bed then, purring as she snuggled into Sookie's side. Sookie smiled and started scratching around her ears.

"A not so subtle hint huh Bell?" she asked

Sookie woke early the next morning, and instead of rushing to the office, she took her time. She was in no hurry to get there any earlier than she had to be. Checking her email she was shocked to see nothing from Victor.

There were a few more house listings for Eric from Amelia that she had been cc'd on but nothing from Victor. Checking his email, she noticed that Victor hadn't been in his email since 6 yesterday.

It was concerning. Sookie made a mental note to call him when she arrived in the office. Making her breakfast and finishing her coffee, Sookie stalled as long as she could. After showering she pulled on her under clothes and a black skirt with a feminine flair at the bottom, it hit just above her knee. Pairing it with a box neck rose three quarter sleeve sweater, Sookie pulled on her fake pearls and matching earrings. Slipping on her standard black pumps she collected her laptop and was out the door.

She arrived at the office at 7:30. Eric was at his desk and looked at her when she walked by but neither acknowledged the other. Walking to her desk, she docked her laptop, and logged in.

Walking into Victor's office, she saw no notes or files on his desk. Sookie was starting to worry at this point.

She walked back to her desk and started filing through her voicemail. It was the last message that made her blood run cold.

"Sookie, its Victor, I'm driving back from DC, I got your email about the speech, make a last run through on it and lets see if we can make it final, I hope you are feeling better, I should be in the office bright and early tomorrow we can talk then, Make sure that you tell Eric I will be in and move my first 3 meetings to later in the day, that way we have plenty of time to …..get out of the way…" it was the holler at the end followed by the loud bang and the voicemail ending that made Sookie cry out.

She hung up and immediately called his house. Sandy answered the phone, sounding tired "Hello?"

"Sandy, it's Sookie, I am so sorry to call so early, but Victor left me an odd message last night and it sounded like something happened, I just wanted to make sure he was ok?"

Eric had come to stand by the door then, listening to Sookie on the phone.

"Oh Sookie" Sandy started crying. "He was in an accident last night" Sandy said

Sookie stood up then, her hand gripping the phone "Sandy where is he? What hospital? I'm on the way, do you need me to come get you?" she asked.

"I'll meet you there; he's at Fairfax Hospital 8th floor, room 8114. Sookie, its bad, just prepare yourself" Sandy warned her.

"How bad?" Sookie whispered

"Real bad, I'm on the way there, now, I only came home to shower and change and make sure the kids were ok, my parents are with them now" Sandy replied, "I'll meet you there"

"Alright Sandy, I'm on the way" Sookie said, hanging up, staring off into space for a moment, her mind trying to process everything.

Picking up her phone again, she called Sam "Sam, Victor has been in an accident, I am going to the hospital, can you tell I.T. or whoever to forward our phones to my cell phone? I have to go see him"

"Of course, cher, let me know if you need anything" Sam said as he hung up.

Grabbing her purse and pulling Victor's office door shut, Sookie started down the hallway. Eric was quickly on her heels, "You weren't going to tell me?" He demanded.

Tears of worry were streaming down Sookie's face when she turned around "I…I'm sorry Mr. Northman, I just need to get there, I didn't mean to not tell you, but I'm not exactly sure what has happened" she said, wiping at her eyes, her voice barely above a whisper. "I try not to say anything about things until I know what is going on, I don't want to gossip and I am just not sure what has happened, I'm sorry but I must go" Sookie said, turning and walking towards the elevators.

"At least let me drive you?" Eric offered

"You don't know where the hospital is, and I am in no condition to try to give you directions right now, I'm sorry, you can follow me if you want" she offered

"You are in no condition to drive and I have GPS in the rental, I insist" Eric said, reaching for his car keys in his pocket.

Sookie was unable to argue at that moment, she only nodded and walked into the elevator as the doors opened, trying to keep her tears under control. When the elevator stopped on the 4th floor, Sookie stepped into the corner and turned her back so that nobody would see her upset. Eric saw and moved to stand in front of her in the corner, effectively blocking anyone's view of her.

Making their way to the garage and his car, Eric opened her door for her, as Sookie climbed in. She was on auto pilot at that point. Her mind racing with worry.

"I didn't cancel his meetings for the morning" Sookie stated outloud, opening her phone and calling folks to leave messages that she would contact them later to reschedule.

Her phone rang then, it was Lafayette from Marketing.

"Hello" Sookie answered

"Hey Sook's, I just heard, do you want to make a statement?" Laff asked

Sookie indicated Eric to make a right turn then and replied "Not yet Laff, I need to find out what has happened, I am meeting Sandy at the hospital. For now, if anyone asks, we have no comment, and it they push, we wish him a speedy recovery, but try not to acknowledge anything, I just don't know what has happened. Sandy sounded like hell when I talked to her earlier" Sookie said

"Do you want to do a press conference later?" Laff asked, taking notes.

"I might do a Q&A later, but it just depends on what is going on, please call the admins for the Boards he sits on, you have the contacts right? I don't want them feeling like I've not told them anything, but make no formal statements, tell them you are calling on my behalf and I am on the way to the hospital, they will understand then and it will all be off record" Sookie said, tears falling again.

"Sookie, I am sure it will be fine, just try to relax girl" Laff said, he knew first hand how close Sookie and Victor were.

"I'm trying Laff, but I just keep remembering all the different things, I remember when the kids were born, and when he won that first election and the vacation we all took to the beach, and I just don't know what to do, its just not possible that this could be happening" Sookie said, tears falling freely now.

"I gotta go Sookie, the other lines are ringing, you find out and let me know and let me know if you need anything baby girl" Laff said hanging up.

Sookie closed her phone then, "Turn left at the next light" she whispered to Eric.

He had been listening to everything, "You sound like you are very close to him" he said.

"Victor is a good man, he is true to his people and he always does the right thing, I am very close to him, and I respect him. I can't imagine what Sandy must be going thru" she said, staring out the window.

"Sookie, I don't know if I like the thought of you making press statements for him" Eric said gently.

"Its not as though you can do it right now, the merger isn't complete and I am his designated spokes person, besides, his different agencies and board seats wouldn't accept anything from you, they don't know you, and its Miss Stackhouse" she said coldly, she was all business then, her emotions tucked safely away. "I will not allow you to make a statement about Victor Madden, Mr. Northman, not yet. I cannot allow you to potentially risk his career and everything he has worked for because you don't understand how things work here in DC. Besides, if you make a statement, it will be twisted against you by the press, we haven't introduced you yet, and I won't have you ruining your career before you get started here"

"You actually sound like you give a damn" Eric growled

"Believe it or not, your career will affect me Mr. Northman, and I won't have you tarnishing my name because you want to act like big man on campus. I may seem like an evil b-word right now, but I have my reasons and I am protecting you, until you are introduced by either Victor or me, you cannot go in front of the DC press, you will be spit out and thrown away like yesterdays trash. There is a reason we are the way we are here, and that the marketing is department is so large, they control your image." Sookie said

"B-word?" Eric asked

"Turn into this parking lot and park" she said "I refuse to cuss Mr Northman, for any reason, I will not allow my temper to get the better of me, lack of control dictates a lack of breeding, welcome to DC" she said getting out of the car.

'_I'd love to see her out of control in my bed, screaming my name at the top of her lungs'_ he thought to himself, watching the sway of her hips as she walked away from the car. Grinning from ear to ear, Eric got out of the car and quickly caught up with her as they walked in to the hospital together. Sookie made her way to the elevators and they got in as she hit the button for the 8th floor. Unsure what she was going to be facing she squared her shoulders and took a deep breath as they walked off the elevator and onto the floor looking for the room number.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sandy was running towards Sookie as she and Eric started walking down the hall. The two women embraced each other for a moment before Sandy spoke.

"Its bad, you need to be ready, and you cannot talk about it in front of him. The doctors told me to talk as though nothing is wrong"

"What happened Sandy? The message he left me…it just cut off abruptly…was he driving?"

"He was driving down the road and a drunk driver was going the wrong way and hit him head on. Thankfully he was wearing his seatbelt, but his head still hit the windshield and the steering wheel slammed into both his legs, they are broken in multiple spots, and he has a severe concussion. He isn't awake; they have him in a medically induced coma because his brain is swelling. If it doesn't start to ease soon, they are going to do some surgery on him. I honestly don't know what the doctor said about that, my mind just stopped at concussion, I'm sorry" Sandy said, her hand grabbing her throat in stress.

"You have nothing to be sorry for Sandy, we will get thru this, I'm here, I'll talk to the doctors, you go ahead and fall to pieces" Sookie told her, squeezing her hand in reassurance.

Sandy nodded, her eyes filling with tears, "Thank you Sookie, I just feel so numb, I'm not sure if I am coming or going"

Eric stepped forward then, "What can I do?" he asked gently

Sookie turned to look at him; she'd forgotten he was behind her when Sandy ran up to her. "Sandy, I'm sorry, this is Eric Northman, Eric this is Sandy Madden, Victor's wife" she said introducing them.

"Mrs. Madden it is a pleasure, I am sorry we had to meet under these circumstances though" he said extending his hand.

Sandy took his hand, nodding and shook it "Thank you Mr. Northman, Victor has spoken very highly of you, he is very fond of you" she said an awkward smile on her face.

"Please call me Eric, now is no time for formality" he said gently

"Thank you, please call me Sandy" she said nodding. Turning to Sookie she said "I've been getting calls from different publications, I've been directing them all to Lafayette, I hope that is right"

"You are fine and yes that is right, I'll handle the publicity, you just take care of you and the kids Sandy, I am serious. I'll handle the work stuff"

"Sookie, he was supposed to testify next week, there is no way he can do it now, I just don't know what to do it was so important to him" Sandy said, her hands rising to her face.

Sookie wrapped her arms around the woman, "Sandy, if necessary I will give the testimony, everyone will understand given the circumstances, we will handle it no matter what happens, just worry about Victor, lets go see him ok? I want to know what is going on and I won't be comfortable until I put my own eyes on him"

Eric heard the exchange and was surprised when Sookie said she would give the testimony if necessary. He made a mental note to talk to her about this later.

Nothing could have prepared them for the sight waiting for them in Victor's room. He was in traction, his legs set and unable to move, his neck in a brace, wires and tubes running in and out of him, blood bags hanging, multiple IV drips, it was a mess.

Sookie took a deep breath when she first saw him, her eyes filling with tears that tried desperately to will away. Sandy stood in the corner unable to move forward, watching as Sookie approached her husband.

Eric stepped forward, looking at the helpless man, lying in the bed. He was unable to process the damage in front of him. Victors head was oddly shaped due to the shock and swelling, there were stitches and bandages, it was tragic.

Sookie took Victor's hand in hers and began speaking calmly, unaware of the tears rolling down her face "Victor, we have many things to go over, and I don't have the ability to give you time off now" she said trying to laugh "I need you to get up so we can go over this speech for next week. You know I can't speak publicly, it makes me sick" she said.

The silence in the room broken by the beeps and swells of the different machines around him, "It just figures that you are acting all injured now, you were determined to make me master speaking publicly, and don't think I will ever forget this Victor Madden" Sookie said smiling thru her tears "You just wait till your next trip, I'll send your luggage to China and cancel your corporate cards so you can't get home, for this stunt"

Sandy giggled lightly in the corner then, moving forward she spoke, laying her hand on Sookie's shoulder "He is always telling me that you threaten him with that Sookie, I never believed him"

"I do threaten him with it, it's actually become our own little joke to be honest" Sookie said, holding Sandy's hand reassuringly. "I'd never do it though; I think that's why he always laughs in my face"

Eric smiled at the joke, unable to understand how the two women could laugh at a time like this.

It was Sandy who noticed the expression of horror on his face "We have to laugh Eric, that is Victor, he always says if you can't laugh you will go crazy"

Eric nodded, still unsure about the mental stability of the two women in the room with him.

Sookie rose from the chair, and pushed Sandy into it gently. Passing Victor's hand to his wife, Sookie squeezed her shoulder and said, "I'm going to step outside, I need to make a few phone calls, you stay and talk to him, make that stubborn horse's ass wake up"

Sandy smiled and nodded, and started talking to Victor, as Sookie walked out. Eric was right on her heels, watching as she flipped open her phone. He was shocked at the way she took control, and even more shocked as folks started processing her requests.

"Laff, its Sookie, I have the details" she said, giving Lafayette the details of the accident. "Give the statement and make sure to inform everyone that this tragedy was caused by the drunk driving of another and that we hope the law is successful in its battle with this national issue, or whatever way you want to spin it, just make sure we also donate to MADD and SADD, I'm going to call a few other folks now, call me when you need me"

Sookie was dialing person after person then, informing them of what happened officially and unofficially. Eric was stunned, he was watching her work and he understood why Sookie Stackhouse was a formidable foe, and how she had managed to catapult Victor to EVP in less than 5 years.

He heard a break in her conversation and took the opportunity to step forward to catch her attention "Miss Stackhouse?"

"Yes?" she said, not looking up from her daytimer.

"The Congressional statement next week…" he began

"I'm not really worried about it now, I just left a message for a scheduler to see if we could at least move the time, once I know what is going on, we can decide our plan forward" she said, writing something else down

"I want to give it" he said

"No" Sookie relied, still not looking up

"NO?" he asked

"No," Sookie answered "You are not known, you cannot give a statement before Congress without an invitation, you are not Victors spokesperson, and right now you aren't officially our CEO, I can't let you do it, it would be perceived by Washington that you were replacing him anyway, and I can guarantee you Mr. Northman, I may only be an admin, but I will destroy you if you attempt to take down Victor Madden when he is injured this way" Sookie said, her eyes flashing as she looked at him, finishing her threat.

Eric shivered, "I wasn't intending any such thing, I would never do that, I was merely thinking we would look unified if I gave the speech on his behalf" he offered "I mean it Miss Stackhouse, I do not intend to threaten Victor in anyway"

"Maybe you can go with us when we go, I don't know yet, I'll have to ask around about it and honestly, right now, its just too premature to think about this." Her hand rising to her forehead.

They both saw the doctor walk in to Victor's room, and they both moved towards the door at the same time.

They listened as he gave a fairly general update, no infections at least and he was sending Victor for some x-rays and scans to see how the swelling was doing and would make a diagnosis after that.

As he left the room Sookie noticed it was close to 3. She moved to stand beside Sandy and asked "Do you need to get the kids?"

"No, my parents are at the house, I'm not leaving Victor" Sandy said firmly "But I want you to go home and get some rest Sookie, you look exhausted and I know there is a lot to do. I'm ready to face this now, we will be fine, I want you to take care of his career" Sandy smiled

"You promise you will call if you need a break or anything?" Sookie stressed

"I promise and I want you to come visit tomorrow, but now, now I need you to go save his image Sookie, you know what needs to be done, you just go do what you do best, and make this work Sookie" Sandy said smiling.

Sookie nodded and looked at Eric, "I need you to get me back to the office please" she said softly.

Eric nodded and moved towards the door. Sookie was close on his heels as they moved to the car in silence.

"What can I do to help you?" he asked when they were driving back.

"I don't mean this to sound cold, but I need you to stay out of my way. If you need help, we may need to hire a temp. I have to be on call to give interviews and make statements for him, and I have to review all the press releases and work with Marketing. This is going to take a lot of work Mr. Northman and once I find out what we are doing with the speech I have to rehearse, I hate public speaking"

"There is nothing I can do?" he asked feeling helpless, and a bit in awe of Sookie in control.

"You will have things to do and appearances will be made, I think there is a benefit this weekend that you can go to for him, you will have to go alone, and you will not be able to take anyone home. I'll have Lafayette give you the details on the dinner. And I think Monday we have to go to an awards banquet, we will need to go together, I will represent Victor and accept his award and you will go for the company. But I can't remember if it's this week or a different one, I'll have to ask Laff" she said

"Together?" Eric asked, "As in you and I at a table together?"

"Together as in you will represent the company and I will represent Mr. Madden, do not read into this situation Mr. Northman. I cannot have my name linked to you any way but professionally" she stated "I do not play your games, I do not move in your circles"

"What exactly do you have against me Miss Stackhouse? I've never met you and you seem to think you know quite a bit about me?" he demanded, his anger getting the best of him.

"I don't need to know you to know your type Mr. Northman, playboys are easy to spot, womanizers are not that uncommon"

"Womanizers?" Eric repeated "I've dated many women, but I've not taken advantage of anyone Miss Stackhouse and you seem to be implying I have done that and I won't tolerate it" he yelled

"You will not yell at me Mr. Northman, calm your tone right now" she demanded angrily. "I don't need you yelling at me when my boss is lying in a hospital bed and I am trying to keep it from damaging the company"

"Don't hide behind Victor, this isn't about him, this is about why you are accusing me of taking advantage of women Miss Stackhouse and I won't have it."

"Of course you won't you will deny it, deny deny deny, like it never happened, you never slept with her, you never got her pregnant and you never threw her out when she told you right? She never had to go running home to her family in shame because she was going to have a baby without a husband, of course" Sookie yelled, the words out of her mouth before she could stop them. Shock evident on her face as her hand flew to her mouth.

Eric growled loudly, "What are you talking about?" he demanded.

They were in the garage by then and Sookie bolted from the car, running to the elevators, desperate to get away from him before she spoke.

"Sookie!" He yelled, watching her get on the elevator and disappear from view. Confusion overtaking him, **pregnant**? He had never gotten anyone pregnant and if he had he wouldn't have denied it. What the hell was she talking about? Opening his phone, he called Amelia, hoping she might have some answers.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

As Eric started to dial Amelia, his phone rang. It was the apartment complex.

"Eric Northman" He said answering the phone.

"Mr. Northman, I just wanted to let you know, your apartment is open this week, the occupants moved out early and we've done all the work on it. Its ready to occupy when you are ready to sign the papers"

"Really?" he asked in surprise

"Yes, I just finished the walk thru, I wanted to let you know in case you wanted to come sign sooner"

"How late are you open tonight? I can be there in 30 minutes" he replied

"Well you're in luck, I'll be here till 6:30. I think its 4 now."

"I'm on the way" he said. He hadn't even turned off his engine, he merely put his car into reverse and pulled away.

'Maybe its better to give Sookie a few minutes to herself' He thought, grabbing his phone to call Amelia.

"Hi bossman, how's the east coast?" she asked, answering the phone.

"It's interesting, Victor was in a bad car accident, we are trying to get to the bottom of the business details. I just left the hospital, his wife is doing much better. I'm on the way to sign my new lease" Eric said

"Do you want me to send flowers?" Amelia asked, "Or a fruit basket? That poor woman, and he has kids doesn't he?"

"I think so, I'll have Sookie send something. But I wanted to ask you about Sookie, Amelia"

"Oh? Is everything alright? You didn't piss her off did you Eric?" Amelia asked.

"Our first meeting was less than ideal"

"Shit, what did you do?"

"What I was most curious about, was whether or not you and Sookie have gossiped about my previous female….friends"

"You mean your flavors?" Amelia giggled

"I'm serious Amelia, this is causing a problem, she just yelled at me about getting someone pregnant and its news to me" Eric said

"You got someone pregnant?" Amelia asked, shocked

"Well I've never been told, if I did, and Amelia, I am very careful about these things. But have you said anything to Sookie about this?"

"No, Eric, really, even if I knew something about this, I would never, ever discuss it. Sookie and I would discuss the area, and gossip, like office gossip, like office romances, and folks who would try to get information out of us, or movies we'd seen, seriously, nothing ever like that. But Eric, I've never heard anything about it. All the women who've called over the years, none of them have ever said anything about it"

"I believe you Amelia, I'm just trying to find out who would say such a horrible thing to her, I'll get to the bottom of it later, there is just to much to deal with for Victor right now, she is talking about making his congressional statement next week, and giving some kind of press release" he said

"Oh Sookie has experience with that Eric, she is Victor's spokes person. Although, she has told me she has a problem with public speaking. She was talking about a speech she made on his behalf once, she needed two trash cans, one for before and one for after, cause she gets so nervous"

"I volunteered to do them and she told me no"

"Well, really, I don't think you can, Washington Society is very tight, if they don't know you, it won't matter what you say or what you are speaking on. Poor Sookie, she must be a bundle of nerves right now"

"I'll call you in a few days, call me if you need me for anything Amelia" Eric said

"You got it bossman" Amelia said hanging up.

Eric was trying to figure out where Sookie would have heard something about a pregnancy as he pulled up in front of his apartment complex.

Parking his car, he walked in and greeted the leasing agent. It took 30 minutes and he was walking out with keys to his apartment, garage and the garage door opener.

Running down to his apartment, he completed his first walk thru, filling out problems with the apartment, making sure to note every flaw, so that he wouldn't lose his security deposit when his lease was finished.

It was almost 5 by the time he was done. Dropping the paperwork off, he made a run to a near by grocery store, and department store. He managed to find an air mattress, and kitchen & bathroom, needs as well as get an almost full pantry in 2 stops.

Returning to his apartment, he put away his groceries and started his first load in the dishwasher. It was almost 7pm by the time he was able to unbox the air mattress. Unwrapping it and laying it out, he decided to hang his shower curtain and run to his hotel to check out.

It was close to 9:30 by the time he had returned to his apartment the second time, he went managed to find a Subway on his way home, and after devouring his sandwich decided to get his air mattress set up. Plugging in the air pump, he hooked it to the air mattress and turned the pump on. It was fairly noisy, so Eric went into the kitchen and started unloading his dishwasher when he heard the knock on his door.

Setting his plates down on the counter, he walked to the front door and opened it. Facing the back of a blonde head, Eric spoke first "Yes?"

There was a loud gasp as he was face to face with familiar blue eyes – "Sookie?" he asked "What are you doing here?" it was then he noticed her bare feet, and a robe peeking out from under the long coat she had wrapped around her.

"I live here, what are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I just moved in here …. Today…..what do you mean you live here?"

* * *

Sookie made it up the elevator and was running to her desk when she ran into Lafayette. After a quick discussion, she followed him down to his office and they created a press release, and left another message for the Congressional scheduler. Going through Victor's calendar, they started delegating different meetings and functions to other people.

It was close to 8:30 when they decided to call it a day. Sookie was exhausted. She got to her car and drove home, skipping dinner, she fed Bella and crawled into bed. Hoping to fall asleep quickly, she was dozing when she heard a loud vibration from above her. Counting to 10 it was all Sookie could do to not scream the building down around her ears.

Throwing a robe over her nightgown, she threw her raincoat on over her robe. She hadn't realized the new tenants were moving in above her this early. She thought there was another week, apparently she was mistaken. Walking upstairs, she was hoping to find someone nice, she didn't want any issues, she just wanted to go to sleep.

Knocking on the door, she waited. No answer. She knocked a second time, louder. Turning around, she thought she heard someone in the breezeway behind her, when the door opened, hearing a tentative "Yes" she whipped around.

"YOU….moved in here….today?" Sookie asked

"Yes, the leasing agent called, they were ready a week early" Eric said smiling, "I was anxious to get out of the hotel, so I moved in today"

Sookie stood there, rooted to the spot. Unable to speak, though she opened her mouth trying to form words.

"Today?" she whispered

"Would you like to come in?" Eric offered, "I have no furniture, but company is always welcome"

"I….its late" she said shaking her head "I just wanted to ask you to turn off whatever noise that is in the bedroom, its vibrating on my ceiling" she said, softly.

"It's the air pump for my air mattress, let me check" Eric said propping the door with box near his reach. Running back to the bedroom, he saw his mattress was almost full. Waiting another couple of minutes, he finally turned it off and put the plug into the air mattress to seal it off.

Walking back to the door, he saw Sookie still standing in the hallway "Its off, I'm done" he said. "Are you sure you don't want to come in?" he smiled.

"I'm sorry, its been a long day, Eric, another time maybe" she held up her hand pausing for a moment, she raised it to her head, "I'm just tired now" she shook her head and turned to walk away.

"Let me at least see you to your door" he offered, walking out behind her. They made their way down the stair in silence. Her door was slightly ajar. Sookie pushed it open and stepped thru, a soft fluffy cat winding through her legs, she bent to pick it up. "Sorry Bella" she said quietly in the cats ear.

"She's very pretty" Eric said, watching her cuddle the cat until it pushed to be let down.

"Thank you, she's my baby" Sookie answered.

Eric stepped closer, his hand on the door handle "I like it you know"

"What?" Sookie asked, her eyes, heavy with the need for sleep.

"The sound of my name on your lips" he replied, shutting her door as he pulled away. He moved towards the stairs, pausing till he heard her door lock. Moving up the stairs with a smile on his face, "I'd rather hear you scream it though" he mumbled to himself.

Walking into his apartment, he smiled as he locked his door "Progress" he said to himself.

Wrapping a sheet on his air mattress, he set his travel alarm clock and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

It was almost the same in the apartment below him. Sookie shut the door and locked it, shocked at his words. Had she really used his first name? Did she slip? Was she losing her professionalism when dealing with him?

After she hung her coat, she walked into her bedroom, hanging her robe on the back of her door, she crawled into bed, Bella snuggling close beside her, she started purring. It didn't take long for the noise and rhythm to put Sookie to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Eric woke up late the next morning. He had slept through his alarm clock, it had been set to go off at 6:30 but he had apparently not heard it as the clock right now said 9am.

"oops" he said

Getting through a quick shower, he managed to get into a suit and out of his garage by 9:30. He was pulling into the parking garage at 10.

Squaring his shoulders as he was going up the elevator, he walked back to his office expecting to see Sookie and was greeted by an empty area. His door was shut, Victor's door was shut and Sookie's desk was empty, although her monitor was on screen saver.

He walked into his office, and docked his laptop. Walking to the kitchen, he grabbed his first cup of coffee, surprised he had seen nobody in the process.

Walking back to his desk, he was almost humming. He logged into his email and was shocked at the emails that Sookie had been pounding out all morning. Then he saw the email to the entire company, it was from Sookie and stated that she was holding a press conference to address Victor's injuries at 10.

"Shit" he hollered, running down to the auditorium.

The place was packed with press, cameras were clicking every where he looked. Sookie was standing on stage, and looked pristine.

Her suit was an immaculate cream color with blue trim. Her shoes matched, and her hair and make up had been done to bring out her beauty. She looked poised, calm and almost…..deadly as Eric watched.

"Ladies and Gentlemen…" she paused waiting for the room to quiet. Eric made his way to the side door stage then.

"I am sure by now you have heard of the terrible tragedy that has befallen Victor Madden….I would like to assure everyone that he is receiving treatment at this time at Fairfax Hospital. While we don't yet have all the test results in from all of his doctors, I have been assured, that he is stable. Everyone is hopeful for a full recovery. While we are still gathering details regarding the accident, we have confirmed with the police that the car that hit Mr. Madden was totaled. The driver of that car has been taken into custody and charges are pending."

Pausing again, she looked around at all the cameras, her eyes steady as continued.

"I would like to extend the family's heart felt gratitude to everyone who has reached out to them at this time. Mrs. Madden and the children as doing as well as can be expected and are grateful for everyone's support, at this time, I would like to welcome our representative Mr. Lafayette Reynolds, he should be able to answer any questions you may have, however I would like to stress, we do NOT have all the information at this time."

Stepping away from the podium, Sookie turned and allowed Lafayette to step forward. As he began speaking, she stepped to the side of the stage and out the door as an aide handed her a trash can, Sookie made sure the stage door was shut before she let loose the contents of her stomach.

Collapsing in a nearby chair, she laid her head on the rim of the trash can and took a few deep breaths.

"Not so good at public speaking I take it?" she heard the voice and it sent shivers up and down her spine.

Eric had followed her out the door and watched as she relieved herself and sat down. Her blue eyes raised to meet his "I hate public speaking, my nerves are shot now" she said, her hands shaking as she set the trash can down and grabbed the liner to wrap into a second liner.

"You are very good at it" Eric stated honestly.

"Thank you, it was for Victor" she said, breathing deeply

"I'm sorry I was late" he offered

"I handled it" Sookie replied

"I know you did, I was just apologizing for making you do that" he said, attempting to explain.

"Please" she said holding up her hand "I handle Victor's affairs, it was necessary, I did it, case closed, Laff will handle everything else now"

"You just won't give an inch will you?" he demanded "I'm trying to be nice and you are still being a cold hearted bitch, and you are going to blame it on something I don't know anything about. You've listened to one person and decided to pass judgment on me about a situation I don't know anything about. Well Miss Stackhouse, fine, you did your job for Mr. Madden. Thank you on behalf of the company, now get back to your desk and handle my affairs since you are supposed to be standing in for my admin." He commanded

Sookie's eyes flashed at him in anger "No" she said

"NO? I do happen to be the CEO in case you've forgotten Miss Stackhouse"

"You happen to be the CEO of the company acquiring ours, as of yet, this merger isn't done. I have hired a temporary admin for you; she is in the auditorium right now. She will be taking over my desk and I will be taking over Victor's office. If you have any questions about it, you can discuss it with our current CEO; I've already gotten his approval. He agreed that given the circumstances, I would be to busy to support you adequately while you are here, so Cheryl has been brought in for you."

Eric stared at her for a moment, his head spinning, "You went over my head?" he asked quietly

"NO, I went to the man who is still CEO of this company. When you are CEO of the company here, I will make sure I go to you, but until then Mr. Northman, I have to handle all of Victor's affairs. Now, I've met with Cheryl, she has added several events to your calendar that you will need to attend. Some I will be attending and we will take that opportunity to introduce you to people and clients"

"What exactly are you going to be doing for Victor Sookie?"

"I am stepping in for him, I already know everyone, and I know what Victor would want done" she said, rising from the chair. She walked past him to the elevators and hit the up button.

"I don't know if I agree with that" he stated, following her onto the elevator.

"I'm sorry" she said simply, pressing the number 6. As soon as the doors closed, Eric was right in front of her.

"So do you want to tell me where this damn pregnancy shit has come from?" he demanded

"I am sorry; I do not discuss personal issues while I am at work"

"Wrong answer, you accused me when we were working, I have the right to know if someone is claiming I have gotten them pregnant Sookie. I called Amelia yesterday and she didn't know anything about it either, so what gives?"

Sookie remained silent as she stepped off the elevator, walking away from him. Eric was hot on her heels as she walked into Victor's office shutting the door behind her, Eric caught the door and pushed his way in shutting it behind him. Sookie sighed and sat behind the desk looking at him.

"Don't you think I have the right to know, if I have a child Sookie? Are you so one sided that you think I already knew about it? I think I deserve to know what is being said about me"

Sookie grabbed a post it note, scribbling a name and number on it she handed it to him. "Here" she said.

Looking at it Eric didn't recognize it, "Who is Becky Hale?" he asked "I don't know anyone in Louisiana" he said

"Becky is pregnant with your child, she moved back to Louisiana when she found out she was pregnant, you may want to call her, she will need help" Sookie said her voice full of anger. Grabbing her daytimer, she walked back to the door, "Please excuse me, I have a bid/no bid meeting I need to attend for Victor. If you have questions on the calendar items that have been added, send me an email." She walked out, shutting the door behind her.

Eric stood there, looking at the post it she had given him. He was doing a mental trace on the name, it wasn't one he recognized. Eric would be the first to admit he had met many, many women, he tried to keep track of the ones he tasted, and this wasn't one he recognized on either list.

Pulling out his cell phone, he called Pam.

"Do you still have that friend that can investigate folks?" he asked

"Yeah why? What did you do now?" she asked sarcastically.

"Just see what you can find out what you can on Becky Hale" he requested

"Alright, gimme a couple of hours" she hung up after that.

Eric walked back to his office, still a bit dazed. He truly didn't recall anyone by that name, and as he thought about it, he got angry. Looking at his calendar he realized he was supposed to be in the meeting Sookie was in. Grabbing his notebook, he walked down the hall to the stairs, to go to the 4th floor.

Walking into the meeting, he sat at the table opposite Sookie. As the meeting began, Eric reviewed the information that had been handed out. It was an hour before the vote was given and Eric voted to no bid, as did Sookie.

At the end of the meeting, Sookie rose from her chair, avoiding Eric's gaze as she left the room. Eric was right behind her, catching her in the elevator. He stared at her as she ignored him. Walking back towards their area, Sookie saw that Cheryl was sitting at the desk. Taking the opportunity to introduce them, Sookie stopped at the desk.

"Cheryl, this is Eric Northman" Sookie said, indicating to Eric, "He will be the CEO when the merger is complete" Looking at Eric she said "Eric, this is Cheryl, she will be assisting you during this transition"

Eric smiled at the women sitting at the desk and they shook hands.

"Welcome Cheryl, I am sure Sookie has informed you of the tragedy we are dealing with right now, and while you will be assisting me, you will be working with Sookie directly. I will interface with her, and I think most of your direction will come from her"

Sookie stood still, her mouth open, _'he really is going to make this as difficult as possible' _she thought, he was going to refuse to work with the temp directly. _'DAMN HIM'_

Turning on her heel, she walked into Victor's office and shut the door behind her. She knew she would have to deal with Eric at some point but right now, she just wanted to look at her email and go home. It was after 1 and she hadn't had lunch yet, but her day had started in the office at 5, after checking email, she was going to head home. Tomorrow, Friday, was going to be hellish, Sookie was still trying to get the Congressional speech rescheduled and it wasn't working. She was going to have too meet with Bill Compton tomorrow, and she wasn't looking forward to it.

Replying to a few messages in her inbox, she flipped over and checked Victor's email, responding to a few messages and confirming two meetings; Sookie shut her laptop, undocked and packed up.

Walking outside, she looked at Cheryl and smiled, "In case anyone is looking for me, I am heading home, I'll be on email most of the day, they can contact me that way, if you have any questions, call my cell."

Cheryl smiled, confirmed the number she had for Sookie and watched her walk away.

Sookie managed to get home and make herself a sandwich before her phone started ringing. Looking at the number, she didn't recognize it, so she let it go to voicemail and finished her lunch.

Logging into her laptop, she managed to get into her email to see the flood waiting for her. Eric had sent her enough messages to jam her inbox. Previewing most of them she forwarded the majority of them onto Cheryl. Sookie knew he was trying to not deal with Cheryl and she knew it was all to get at her. Knowing his game made it easier for her to deal with, in fact, she found herself laughing until she got to a message he sent asking her where she was.

Sookie replied to it, informing him that she had left for the day and that she would be in tomorrow.

He replied immediately, stating that he needed to know what her expected work hours were going to be. Grinding her teeth, she replied back that she would be working her normal 8 hours and that she would be flexing as her schedule permitted. She also took the opportunity to point out that her schedule was available for his view.

She then sent him a separate email letting him know about her meeting with Bill Compton tomorrow, and inviting him along in case he wanted to meet the client. Giggling, she sent him the calendar invite from Victor's calendar and walked away.

She managed to get to the grocery store and get home before 6. Pulling into her garage, she unloaded her car and started carrying her bags down to her apartment, knowing it would take 2 trips with all the bags she had. It was when she was walking back towards her garage that she noticed Eric walking out of the garage next to hers. Mentally cringing to herself, she grabbed her bags and pulled her door shut as he watched.

"You know Sookie, you really should let folks know where you are going to be" he said.

"Mr. Northman, I let Cheryl know I was leaving. Mr. LeClerq informed me this morning when we were working on the temp for you, that I would need to leave early today since I had come in so early and because of the events coming up that I would be attending for Victor. I'm sorry you weren't aware of it, he assured me that he would connect with you himself" she replied without stopping. She was trying to get away from him.

Eric followed her down the stairs. "I think you could have told me what was going on"

"How would I do that Mr. Northman? You didn't show up in the office until it was time for the press statement, I sent you an email, exactly how was I supposed to get a hold of you?"

Sookie pushed her door open and walked thru, not stopping until she reached the kitchen. When she didn't hear the door shut, she turned around after setting the bags down and saw Eric standing in her living room, looking around.

"I don't think I invited you in" she stated, her hands on her hips as she stared at him.

"I am tired of your games little girl" he said walking towards her, his eyes flashing as his hands grasped her elbows, Sookie tried to back up but found herself against a wall.

"This is MY house" she snarled at him, trying to break her arms free without success.

"I am tired of the attitude Sookie" he growled in response, as his lips came crashing down on hers.

Sookie struggled for a moment, her mind raging at her. _'I hate this man, damnit I hate this man, why the hell is this happening to me?' _her mind screamed at her, her toes curling in her flip flops. Sookie felt heat rising from her feet, threatening to engulf her, her mind getting quieter as Eric's mouth pressed against hers. Sookie stopped resisting his kiss, surprise her and Eric.

He seized the moment, his tongue grazing against her lips, demanding entry. _'Oh shit'_ her mind was turning to gel, like her limbs, as her lips opened, his tongue on hers demanding, coaxing, questioning. As Sookie began to answer, her tongue responding to his, answering his demands, her hands clinging to his forearms, the thought of struggle no longer in her mind.

'_Oh Sookie, you have no idea what I want to do to your body, I was wrong when I thought you frigid'_ he thought, his tongue possessing her mouth. It was only when her hands grabbed his arms that he realized what he was doing. Pushing her away, he stepped back, his gaze falling to her lips, swollen from his kiss, her chin red from the stubble of his beard. _'Damnit'_ he thought, _'what the fuck am I doing?' _Eric turned and quickly left the apartment. Making his way upstairs, he managed to get the keys to his own apartment out and unlocked his door, stepping through it in a daze. It was his ringing cell phone that brought him out of it.

"Eric Northman" he said

"I have some information for you on your Becky" Pam replied

"What?"

"She lives in Louisiana, or at least returned there about 2 months ago. She is the daughter of a Bartlett Hale"

"Ok – anything else?"

"Oh yes," Pam paused with a giggle, "You're never going to guess who she is a cousin to"

"Not in the mood for games Pamela, just tell me"

"Well it seems that Bartlett Hale is the Uncle to your Sookie Stackhouse, Becky and Sookie are cousins. Are you going to tell me your sudden interest in this girl?"

"She claims that I got her pregnant. I have no clue who she is, I don't remember her at all, did you manage to run across a picture?"

"Pregnant?" Pam hollered "You cannot be serious, let me have the lawyers contact her Eric, we cannot have her running around making these accusations"

"No – just get me a picture"

He closed his phone then, falling back on his air mattress, it was the only furniture he had right now. Staring at the ceiling, _'Sookie's cousin thinks I got her pregnant. SHIT. ME. SILLY'_

* * *

Sookie watched Eric walk away. Her hand rising to touch her lips, as though she didn't believe that he'd kissed her.

Her eyes moved around the apartment, seeing nothing. 'Did he just kiss me?' she thought 'Oh shit, did I like it?' she collapsed on her couch. 'Holy shit' folding her arms across her stomach, 'I have to face him tomorrow, holy shit, I have to face the man that kissed me and walked away from me. I must have sucked at kissing, Eric Northman doesn't walk away from anyone' she thought.

Bella walked into the living room then, her presence announced with a loud "Meow" as she looked at Sookie. It was time for dinner.

Rising from the couch automatically, Sookie opened the can of cat food and set it down near her water. Distracted, she put away the groceries, and walked into her room. Feeling trapped by the walls of her apartment, Sookie grabbed her purse and keys and left. She tip toed by Eric's door and was backing out of her garage before she was caught.

Driving to a nearby restaurant, she walked into the bar and sat down.

"Hey Sookie" the bartender greeted her. She was a regular, often eating alone and tipping well so she had developed a decent friendship with the bartender.

"Hi Tony" she replied

"I saw you on TV earlier, did you throw up twice like normal?" he asked smiling.

"Yeah, it was hell" she said, starting to relax with the conversation.

"The usual?" he offered, sliding a glass of unsweet tea in front of her.

"The tea yes, but I think tonight, I just want a pot pie"

With a nod, he walked off towards the kitchen. Leaving Sookie to stare at the TV. As she mixed some sweetener in, she fell off into a daze. She jumped when Tony slid her pot pie in front of her.

"Sorry Sook" he said "You alright? You seem upset"

"It's just been crazy, with Victor in the hospital, I'm goin nuts in the office" she smiled at him.

Nodding he walked away, taking care of the other customers. Sookie finished her pot pie, and left a $20, knowing her order was only $11. Tony always took good care of her, and she always tried to tip him well as a result.

Walking back to her car, she managed to get back into her garage and into her apartment without running into Eric again.

Settling into bed soon after, she managed to fall asleep after tossing and turning for an hour. Her last thought was a particular pair of blue eyes and the feel of masculine arms under her hands.

* * *

**AN: Who watched True Blood last night? The correct answer is - everyone :) :)**

**If I may stand on my soap box for a minute, I am a bit tired of all the press with this Skarsgard/Bosworth thing, I don't care if they are dating. I am a bit tired of turning on my TV or opening my news browsers and being bombarded with it HOLY CRAP. Is it REALLY anyone's business what they do? As long as he keeps playing Eric and bringing my TV show to life - I don't really give a crap what kind of person he is in real life, I don't watch tv to deal with real life.**

**I feel better now, I will step off my soap box - thank you all for listening**

**Onto other matters - for those of you who read my profile you know my family is military - as a result - it looks like I maybe moving to LAX or suburbs around LAX in the next 18 months (give or take) - can anyone give me some ideas about what they think of LAX? I've been to SFO many times, but I don't really want to live there and I'm a bit scared about LA, I don't know ANYONE there and I've never visited - sniff sniff - help please**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Eric laid on his mattress for quite a while. As he stared at the ceiling, he was trying to figure out what had happened to his life. He had just assaulted a woman who's cousin was claiming he'd gotten her pregnant.

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

Rummaging through his pocket, he found the post it note that Sookie had given him.

"Becky Hale, Becky Hale" he said out loud. The name rolling off his lips, unfamiliar, he didn't know this woman.

Running his hand through his hair, he opened his phone.

"Pam did you get that picture?" he demanded

"Yes, its her drivers license, and I'm outside your door, open up" she said dryly.

Eric stood up, kicking off his shoes as he walked towards the door. Opening it, he found his sister standing outside.

"Here" she said, shoving a piece of paper at him as she walked through the door "I love the changes you've made, its so…so….so you Eric" she said looking around. Turning back to face him, she had a smile on her face and an arched eyebrow. "Furniture would be a good start you know" she said, walking towards his bedroom. "An air mattress? Seriously? Eric" she yelled.

Eric looked at the picture she stuff at him. He still didn't recognize the face. "I have no clue who this is" he said, looking at Pam's back.

"Ahh, picture her with brown hair instead of blonde" Pam said looking at him.

Eric looked at the picture and back at Pam. "She was with you at the party, I didn't touch her" he stated.

"I know, but when I met her, her name was Hadley, not Becky. If she's pregnant, I'm curious, she definitely didn't swing that way in California" Pam said, as she walked back towards him. "We will need to get your furniture Eric, this is just…..too….quaint" she said slowly. Looking around at the empty apartment.

"I was just going to rent some furniture over the weekend." Eric said absently, waving his hand in the air "What the hell am I going to do about this?"

"I could call her?" Pam offered "We left things with a large question mark" she smiled at him. "I think we should let the lawyers handle it though"

"See what she will tell you" Eric said, "I'm curious to know what this is all about"

"Lets eat, there has to be something edible out here in the boondocks" Pam said, attempting humor.

"Boondocks? Isn't this the suburbs?"

"I'll drive, I'm parked in front of your garage" she stated, walking out the door.

Pam dropped him off after they ate. Eric managed to crawl in bed and tried not to think about the woman below him.

* * *

The next morning, he woke up before the alarm. Standing in the shower, he wondered how Sookie was going to react when they saw each other.

Drying off, he pulled on a suit and checked his email. He would be going with her to the client meeting. He needed to meet Mr. Compton, Victor had been hoping to introduce them at this meeting, it felt odd knowing Sookie was going to be doing it instead.

On autopilot, he made it to the office and was pouring coffee before he realized what he was doing. Walking back to his area, he was greeted with the sight of Sookie barefoot and bent over a file cabinet. Her trim hips in the air, allowing Eric's imagination to run wild. It was his groan that caught her attention, as she shot up and looked at him in surprise.

"Cheryl will be in soon, she is on an 8 – 5 schedule, if you want her here earlier, just let her know" she said quietly, taking the folder in her hand and walking into Victor's office.

* * *

Sookie woke up late, after her shower she checked the dark circles under her eyes. With a sigh, she pulled out her makeup, starting to mix concealer and foundation to cover the dark circles. After she felt she looked presentable, she pulled on her clothes, jewelry and slid into her shoes.

Feeding Bella a small portion of soft food, she mixed her coffee and grabbed her keys, heading out the door.

Arriving at work, she was surprised to find she was the first in the office. Making the coffee, she started to relax. Leaving her shoes in Victors office, she walked out to the file cabinet, she needed the file she kept on Bill to refresh her memory on the contracts and bids they were working on with his company.

Rummaging thru her file cabinet, she had her hands on the file, when she heard a groan behind her. Turning quickly, she found Eric behind her, his eyes closed for a moment.

Sookie spoke to him about Cheryl and walked into Victors office. After putting her shoes back on, she was scanning the file in her hands, trying desperately not to think about the man next door to her. She was trying to ignore the fact that her heart skipped a beat when she saw him, ignore the fact that she wanted him to kiss her again, ignore the fact that he had rejected her, he had walked away from her.

Sitting behind the desk, Sookie stared at her email seeing nothing. She was shaking; shaking with fear; shaking with weakness; shaking with desire.

_Eric walked through the door of Victor's office, seeing her sitting behind the desk, his eyes not releasing hers from his gaze as he took her hands and pulled her from the chair. His mouth crashing on hers as he pulled her close, his hand rising to her breast, squeezing gently, his nimble fingers pinching her nipple into a hard nub._

It was the vibration of her cell phone that pulled Sookie out of her daydream "Holy mother of god" she said, reaching for her cell phone and her forehead.

"Sookie Stackhouse" she answered

"Sookie? It's Becky, I need to talk to you" her cousin whispered into the phone

"What's wrong Becky?" she asked

"It Father, I've found something out Sookie, something horrible" Becky whispered, "I saw him" she whispered quickly.

"Saw what?" Sookie asked

"He did it again, what he did to Jason, he did it again, to another little boy" she whispered, and then the phone went dead.

What the hell?

Sookie looked at the clock on her pc, she still had a few minutes before she needed to leave. Dialing her Gran, she was hoping to get answers.

"Hello?"

"Hi Gran, its Sookie, do you have a minute?" Sookie asked

"Of course I have time for my baby girl, how are you? How is DC?"

"I'm fine, and DC is different" Sookie laughed "Gran, I just got a call from Becky" Sookie said.

"OH? How is she? I've not heard from her in a while" Gran said

"She was whispering into the phone, that she saw Uncle Bartlett do something, the same thing he had done to Jason, and I was hoping you could tell me what it was?" Sookie asked

"Sookie, I don't like to talk about that, can't we discuss something pleasant?" Gran asked

"Gran, I really need to know. There is a lot going on, and Uncle Bartlett, he told me Becky was pregnant and that it was my new bosses baby, and things are just a mess" Sookie cried into the phone.

"Oh child" Gran said, with a sigh "It was so long ago, you cannot tell Jason that you know Sookie, never. I promised him along time ago"

"I promise Gran"

"Uncle Bartlett was…he was….I found him one day, I came home early. He had Jason in a room, both of them had their pants off. Baby, Uncle Bartlett was…funny" Gran finally managed to get out.

"He….was…touching Jason?" Sookie whispered

"Yes baby, and it wasn't the first time" Gran answered "When I saw Becky last, she wasn't pregnant Sookie. She was fine, she was running around in one of those 2 piece bathing suits like you like so much"

They were both quiet for a long moment.

"Sookie, anything Uncle Bartlett tells you, honey, you cannot trust it. I never reported him to the police because of Becky, and Jason begged me to not tell anyone."

"Gran, I've made a horrible mistake" Sookie said, the cold fingers of fear and dread were crawling up her spine then. "I accused this man, of getting Becky pregnant and not standing by her, Gran, what am I gonna do?"

"You go and tell him you have made a mistake and you were mis-informed Sookie. It happens, this is a horrible situation, just confess the error and put it behind you" Gran said.

"I don't know if I can Gran" Sookie whispered

"You can and you will baby, just explain that you given bad information" Gran insisted.

"I have to go Gran" Sookie said "I need to leave for a meeting, I'll try to call you over the weekend, I love you" she said quickly closing her phone. Hot tears were falling from her eyes then.

Sookie managed to get herself under control when Eric knocked on the office door. Turning in the chair, aiming her back to the door, she called out, "Just a minute".

Eric was able to see her outside the office, the glass window beside the door showed him her tear stained face until she turned in the chair.

"Sookie?" he said softly, opening the door to step thru "You didn't have news on Victor did you?" the worry evident in his tone.

"No" Sookie said quickly, wiping her eyes with her hands, "I'll meet you at the elevators in just a minute" she told him without turning around.

"Alright" he said, walking out of the office shutting the door behind him.

Sookie grabbed her purse and started repairing her makeup, hoping to hide the circles under her eyes. Somewhat satisfied, she grabbed her belongings and walked out nodding to Cheryl as she left. Walking past Eric to the bathroom, she checked the mirror and made a few more touch ups to her appearance and walked out.

Refusing to meet his gaze, she stood in front of the elevators. Stepping on the elevator together, they stood in silence, reaching the parking garage. As they stepped off the elevator, Eric spoke.

"Would you like to ride with me?"

"I think I'll drive myself" she said "That way I can go home right after the meeting"

"You don't look well Sookie, let me take you home, you live right below me, we can grab your car tomorrow" he offered.

"I don't think that would be a good idea" she said slowly.

"I insist Sookie, I cannot have you getting sick or injured. Besides, its no trouble. I insist"

Sookie tried to back away, intending to ignore him and walk towards her car. She stumbled with the door leading to the garage. It had been sticking recently, and it was sticking now.

Sighing, Eric stepped forward, pushing on the door, his hand brushing hers as he did so.

Sookie cried out, and pulled her hand back, as the heat of his flesh burned through her, scorching her all the way to her soul.

"Its not a good idea" she said firmly.

Grabbing her elbow, he dragged her to his car. "Get in" he ordered.

Sookie sat down in the seat, it was easier to sit than to argue.

"You are exhausted Sookie, I see the dark circles under your eyes, I see them through the makeup you are trying to hide them with. We will get through this meeting and then I am taking you home, that is it, no arguing"

The hour meeting with Bill Compton stretched out to be two hours. Sookie managed to hold her own in negotiations over cost division on the contracts the two companies were trying to agree on. Eric was impressed by her clear knowledge and her communication of what would and would not be accepted. When Bill had attempted to dismiss her, Eric backed her and her decisions fully.

Sookie managed to make it to his car and fasten her seatbelt before her eyelids felt like they were full of lead. Intending to only set her head back and to rest for a moment, she barely opened her eyes when she felt the car shut off and the garage door close. She felt the seatbelt slide across her body and tried to open her eyes, but they just wouldn't cooperate.

She heard the car door open and shut, and felt her door open. When he gently lifted her up in his arms, she managed to whisper "Thank you"

"You haven't slept in days have you?" he asked, knowing he wasn't going to get an answer.

Grabbing her bag, he managed to get them thru the garage and the door shut, before heading down the stairs to her apartment. Reaching the door, he managed to hang her bag on the door handle and with luck, got a hand in her pocket to grab her keys. It took 3 tries before he found the door key, opening the door, he walked thru, propped the door with his foot to grab her key and bag, before letting it close shut.

"Meow" he heard at his feet and saw a ball of fur walk towards the kitchen.

Eric carried Sookie to her bedroom. He was a bit stunned by the simplicity. Her dark armoire, with a small TV on top, tables on each side of the bed with glass hurricane lamps sitting on them, the tables were covered in matching blue tablecloths. Her queen size bed with its green and blue plaid quilt, and blue pillow cases.

Laying her down on the bed, Eric pulled her shoes off. Setting them beside the bed, he managed to pull the quilt down and up over Sookie. Smiling for a moment, he pulled out her earrings and walked towards her bathroom, spying an small tray of jewelry, he set them down there. Walking back to her, he unclasped her necklace and set it on the bedside table.

"Meow" he heard more insistently from the kitchen. Chuckling he walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen to feed the insistent cat.

"If I feed you, you can't wake her up, she needs to sleep the night thru, got it?" he asked meeting the big eyes of the cat staring up at him.

Finding the soft food in the pantry, he opened a can and set it on the dish already on the floor. Finding a piece of paper on the dining room table, he wrote a short note to Sookie.

Walking back to the bedroom, he set the note down on the table closest to Sookie. Looking at her he smiled, unable to resist, he pressed a small kiss to her lips and was shocked when she responded,

"Eric" she breathed and kissed him back

"Sleep well my sleeping beauty" he whispered and left her bedroom. Walking to the front door, he was a bit worried about walking out and leaving her door unlocked. Grabbing her keys, he exited the apartment and used them to lock her door, she was on the ground floor, and he didn't want to risk inviting in a burglar.

Walking back to his garage, hitting the garage door opener when he got in the car, he ran his hand through his hair. It was still fairly early in the day and he would be able to at least make a big grocery store run, and hopefully find a furniture rental store.

Using the GPS in his rental car, he found a furniture store locally and made that his first stop. After picking out an apartment's worth of furniture, he paid extra for same day delivery, and went to the grocery store.

It was well after 7 p.m. when Eric finally managed to get home. After carrying in bags of groceries, and putting them away, he changed into pajama pants and pulled on a plain t-shirt to wait for the furniture delivery.

Thankfully he didn't have to wait long. After getting everything placed where he wanted it and keeping the delivery guys quiet, he got in the shower, and managed to fall into his pseudo bed. Mumbling about needing to arrange for a new bed the next day, as sleep overtook him.

Eric woke to the sun streaming through his window, he'd forgotten to close the blinds last night. Rolling over, his back now facing his window, he managed to doze a while longer. Opening one eye, he gazed at the alarm clock, 7:45 a.m.

"Its illegal to wake up this early on a Saturday" he mumbled.

He got up and went into the bathroom. His bladder was screaming at him, he made his way to the kitchen to make coffee, when it started brewing, he walked back to his bedroom, closed the blinds and crawled back into bed, intending to sleep a bit longer.

He woke up again at 9. Satisfied he had gotten some more sleep, he stumbled back to his kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. Falling onto his couch, he turned on the TV and found a news station. Watching for a while, he got up to pour himself another cup of coffee and grabbed his laptop. Using his wireless card he managed to check his email and finalize a few meetings on his calendar.

Thinking about Sookie he checked the time, it was almost 11:30. Eric went back to his room, intending to change and go down to her apartment to check on her. He was getting ready to open his door when he heard the knock. Opening it he saw Sookie standing at his doorstep. She had at least changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, Eric thought she'd never looked better, until he saw her eyes. The dark circles were still there, and her eyes themselves were bloodshot.

"Did you even sleep?" he demanded

Sookie nodded. When Eric stood to the side, she walked into his apartment.

"Sandy called, Victor still has pressure on his brain" she said without turning around, "she called me this morning, it woke me up, about 30 minutes ago actually"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"What are they going to do?" Eric asked shutting the door after Sookie had walked in.

"Sandy said they are going to operate on him, something about relieving the pressure to not cause damage" Sookie said "I honestly am to stunned to remember it all, she woke me up and I haven't had coffee"

"Sit down" Eric said, pointing to the couch as he walked towards the kitchen "I have coffee, let me get you some"

Sookie looked around seeing all the furniture at once "Did you get a visit from the furniture Fairy or something? Did I sleep thru it all" she asked as she sat on the edge of the couch.

Eric chuckled from the kitchen "I did rental furniture, it was quick and easy" he said, walking back into the living room to set the coffee in front of her "Do you want cream or sugar?" he offered "Its in the kitchen"

"Normally I would, right now I need this to function" she said taking a tentative sip to make sure it wasn't to hot, finding it comfortable she swallowed almost the whole mug in a few sips, "I wish I carried hard liquor with me" she mumbled almost under her breath.

Setting her mug down on the table, she looked at Eric, "We gotta talk"

"Oh?" He replied, arching an eyebrow as he watched her.

Sookie shifted on the couch uncomfortably; "Yeah, I think I owe you an apology Eric" she began, as her cell phone rang.

"Sookie Stackhouse" she answered

"Ok….I'll be there soon Sandy…..its ok, I am sure things will be ok….alright, if anything changes just call me, I'll be there as soon as I can" Sookie said closing her phone "Can you take me to the office? Sandy is coming unglued sitting at the hospital; they just took Victor back for surgery"

"No, but I'll take you to the hospital, let me grab your keys and change" he said rising and setting his coffee mug down. He stopped in the hallway and looked at her over his shoulder "And we will discuss whatever it was you were saying later, I am looking forward to whatever it is, it sounds good"

Sookie cringed, "Can you give me my keys? I'll throw my shoes on and lock up downstairs and be ready to go"

Eric tossed her keys to her from his bedroom and watched her walk out the front door as he turned to change with a smile on his face.

* * *

After an 8 hour surgery, the doctors let Sandy know that Victor seemed ok, but that it would be touch and go from here on out.

Sookie and Eric sat with Sandy the entire time. They waited while she went to recovery to see him and when she returned she hugged them both, thanking them for waiting with her.

"Please, both of you go home. I'll be ok now that he is out and I can see him" Sandy promised.

"Are you sure?" Sookie asked "I can stay Sandy, its no problem"

"No Sookie, you look like I feel, go home, sleep, I'll call you if anything changes" Sandy promised

Eric took Sookie by the elbow. He had been worried for a while, the dark circles seemed more pronounced and he had to practically force her to eat a few bites of a sandwich earlier.

"Eric, get her out of here, I don't want to be worrying over her too" Sandy said smiling.

Eric nodded, and pulled Sookie gently by her arm.

Walking out to the car, he opened the door for her and shut it once she was situated in the passenger seat.

They drove back to their complex in silence.

"I'm sorry, I meant to have you drop me at the office so I could drive my car home" Sookie said, her hand rising to her head in frustration.

"No, I wouldn't let you drive now anyway, you're exhausted Sookie, come on, I'll walk you downstairs and you can finish telling me whatever it was you were starting to say this morning."

Sookie nodded as they got out of the car, fishing her keys out of her purse. They were in front of her door before she knew it.

"Would you like anything to drink?" she offered as they walked thru her door, hanging her keys on a hook by the door as she walked towards the kitchen.

Pointing to her sofa "Have a seat" she offered.

Eric sat down, anxious to hear whatever it was she was going to tell him "No, thank you, I'm good" he said, watching her as she grabbed a ginger ale out of the fridge.

"I was recently told that someone I trusted was not who I thought they were" Sookie began, "And that person, informed me that you had gotten my cousin pregnant. So bottom line, I am sorry I accused you when you were in truth innocent. I apologize" Sookie said, sitting down across from him.

"Do you apologize for you cold formality or for accusing me and being wrong?" Eric asked

"I apologize for accusing you and being wrong, I do not apologize for my formality, I will not budge on that" She insisted

"So you aren't going to apologize for being a cold hearted bitch, after you refused to accept my apology for acting badly at our first meeting?" he asked, his eyebrow arching as he looked at her. Eric leaned forward, setting his elbows on his knees to stare at her.

"So Sookie, you think, even after the way you have treated me, and as cold as you've been to me, I should accept your apology with no worries and no cares and let it roll right off my back?"

Eric watched her squirm across from him.

"I should ignore how insulting it was to be accused of not owning up to getting a woman pregnant? And from an assistant in a company, not even another man, but an assistant who technically I pay? I should find no insult in that at all? I should not feel justified to call security and have all your access terminated and fire you first thing Monday morning for your insubordination?"

Sookie remained quiet as Eric spoke. She stayed quiet as he paused waiting for her answer.

"What would you do if you were in my shoes?" he asked trying to hold her gaze.

"Honestly, I would react the same way you are now" Sookie answered quietly.

"I realize I may not have made the best first impression, but I do take pregnancy seriously, I would never have done that to someone" Eric said.

"I don't need to know about your past….relationships" Sookie said, holding up her hand.

"I wasn't in a relationship, I don't do relationships" Eric snapped at her

"Whatever it is you call them then, I don't need to hear about them" Sookie stated

"I choose to associate with women, who I come to an understand with, I prefer mature women" Eric snapped "I don't usually pick girls from the south who make accusations without doing homework to find out if they are right"

"I was told by my Uncle, that would be her father, I would never have assumed that he would lie to me, I've apologized" Sookie said

"Oh right, and I'm just supposed to accept your apology, even though you ignored mine" Eric said.

Sookie stood up, walking to the kitchen "You're just being….impossible" she said

"You don't get to walk away" Eric yelled, walking after her.

Sookie turned and backed into the kitchen, Eric stepping forward gaining ground on her.

"All your damn games" he said, as he reached out snaking an arm around her waist, pulling her forward, "all your games and I still want to taste you" he mumbled, his lips crashing down on hers.

Sookie felt him pull her close, heard the words he mumbled and felt his lips, but it seemed to all happen at once. She pushed against his shoulders, but he didn't release her. Instead he ran his tongue against her lips, forcing entry into her mouth. Sookie was a puddle as she responded. Her mouth opening slowly, her arms stopped pushing, as they froze and then started pulling him closer.

Her hands running up his shoulders to wrap around his neck, as she gave herself over to his kiss. She felt him pick her up off the ground as he pulled her into him. His free hand, moving up her arm and down her chest, cupping a breast. She was moaning into his mouth as she responded. Her mind racing _'maybe he does want me after all'_.

Her fingers were running through his hair, as he moaned in response. It was a quiet "Meow" that made them both freeze.

Eric heard it and stopped instantly. What the fuck was he doin?

Setting her down quickly, he looked at her "I am sorry Sookie, I shouldn't have done that" he said.

"I…I….I" Sookie stuttered, her face full of confusion.

"You are a nice girl, and as much as I want you, and I do want you, I can't do this" Eric said, turning, and walking towards the door "I don't do relationships, and you deserve that, you are not my type"

Sookie was still in the kitchen trying to grasp what had happened, when she heard the door shut.

_'He rejected me again'_ she thought. _'Damnit I don't like him anyway'_ was the thought in her mind when the tears started.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Sookie settled down 15 minutes after Eric walked out the door.

Determination straightening her spine, Sookie got in the shower. The warm water helping her both focus and forget her troubles. After getting her hair clean and conditioned, she got out.

Wrapping in a towel, Sookie walked to her kitchen. After setting food down for Bella, she opened a bottle of wine. Pouring a large glass full, she walked back into the bathroom and filled the tub full of almost hot water.

Pulling her hair up on her head, setting her glass of wine near the tub, she climbed in the tub. Leaning back with a sigh, she felt the warmth working on her muscles, as she pulled her bath pillow behind her neck.

Sookie tried to not think about Eric, and it worked until she started to doze. When her mind continued to ponder the thought of his chest under her hands, or his lips pressed to hers, Sookie decided to get out of the tub.

She had finished her glass of wine and noticed, it had gotten dark outside. Feeling relaxed, she pulled on her nightgown and crawled into bed. She was starting to drift off to sleep when she heard a thump in the apartment above her. Throwing a glare at the ceiling, she rolled onto her side, and started to drift off again.

She was almost asleep when her phone rang.

"DAMNIT ALL TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET" she yelled. Looking at her phone she saw who was calling.

"Hi Gran" she answered quietly.

"Sookie, I wanted to call and check on you baby"

"I'm fine Gran, I was just going to sleep, it's been a long day, I was at the hospital with Sandy and Victor, they did a surgery on him to help with the pressure of his brain" Sookie said, exhaustion evident in her voice.

"Sookie, I want you to tell me what is goin on with Bartlett" Gran demanded.

"Gran, is it possible for us to talk tomorrow? Please, I'm just so tired" Sookie said.

"You can sleep, after you tell me what is going on" Gran insisted.

"Uncle Barlett told me Becky came home pregnant and that it was by a man she met in California" Sookie said

"And?" Gran pushed

"Well, you know the company Victor and I are working for is being taken over?"

"Yes"

"Well I met the man who will be the new CEO, his name is Eric Northman" Sookie said

"Alright"

"Well that is who Uncle Bartlett said got Becky pregnant"

"Baby, what does that have to do with you?"

"Mr. Northman and I didn't meet under the best of circumstances Gran, it wasn't hard for me to believe he had gotten her pregnant and turned his back on her"

"Oh Sookie…..no….did you apologize to him?"

"Well, Gran, its not that easy, I did apologize, but he didn't accept it, because I didn't accept his from before, and its just a mess" Sookie said, her eyes filling with tears "he doesn't like me anyway, everything is a mess Gran, we kissed…and…he rejected me…..he doesn't do relationships…..I don't know what is going to happen to Victor…its all a mess" Sookie sobbed into the phone "I was horrible to him….he can't stand to look at me"

"Sookie, baby, calm down" Gran said, speaking softly in an effort to get her to calm down. "You need to give it some time and then talk to him again Sookie"

"He walked away from me" Sookie was starting to calm down abit then.

"Baby, go ahead and get some sleep, we can talk tomorrow, I can tell how tired you are" Gran said.

"Alright, I'll try" Sookie said "I love you Gran"

"I love you too baby"

They hung up then. Sookie got up and went to the bathroom, after flushing, she grabbed a wash cloth and wet it and wiped her face off. Hanging it on the towel rack, she walked back into her bedroom.

Laying back on the bed, she cuddled into Bella, trying to fall asleep with no luck. Giving up after a few minutes, she pulled on a pair of yoga pants, a sports bra and a shirt. Walking into the closet she found her tennis shoes and pulled them on.

Sookie walked to the leasing center and into the small workout room. Getting on the treadmill she started running. As she ran, she started thinking.

'I know I need to apologize, but how am I gonna do that when he keeps rejecting me?' Sookie thought to herself.

Increasing the incline on the treadmill, she was trying to find her rhythm, with no luck.

Her mind was drifting, as she started counting, hoping to find some balance to keep up her momentum. After 20 minutes she was unable to focus and gave up.

Jogging back to her apartment, she was walking towards the building when she saw a blonde step out of Eric's apartment. She stopped when she saw them embrace in the doorway and heard the woman giggle.

The blonde had apparently heard Sookie stop and gasp, because she turned to look at Eric. He stepped into the breeze way and stopped "Sookie" he said, but she didn't stop, she turned around and jogged off quickly. Her mind racing.

'_No wonder he rejected me, he has her'_ she thought, tears of embarrassment falling down her cheeks. Finding a foot path, Sookie left the parking lot. She thought she'd heard footsteps behind her, and she didn't want to talk to anyone, afraid it was Eric.

Slipping her ipod out of her pants pocket, she turned it on and found the cadence she had been looking for all night. Ignoring the vibration of her cell phone in her pocket, Sookie ran.

Ran from his rejection…from his anger…from her shame…the stress of Victor…her job…Sookie ran and didn't stop until she saw the beginning streaks of the sunrise in the sky.

Realizing she had been running in circles she made her way back to her parking lot and walked around her building. Unwilling to even walk by his apartment, she walked up to her door and let herself in. Locking it behind her, jumping in the shower, she managed to get herself clean and then collapsed into bed.

Sookie woke up to the sound of cooking in her kitchen.

"Isabella baby girl, when you gonna go in there and wake our girl up, sugar, she needs to eat too" she heard from her kitchen. Smiling, Sookie rolled over and glanced at her clock. It was almost 1 p.m. She grabbed a robe and pulled it on over her nightgown. Walking towards the kitchen, she smiled, running her hand through her hair.

"Please tell me that when you let yourself in you at least made coffee?" Sookie begged.

"You crazy? You don't function without coffee Sooks" Lafayette replied without turning around at the stove. He pointed to the coffee maker in the corner "I brought my special blend, you may thank me later" he said, turning over the bacon as it cooked. "I figured when you didn't even stir as the door opened that it had been a rough night"

"mmmm hmmm" Sookie said adding cream and sweetener to her coffee and taking a large sip. With a deep sigh, she sat down at her dining room table. She was silently grateful she had gotten the pub style table and chairs. She wouldn't have been able to sink comfortably into a traditional style chair today.

"You wanna talk about it?" Laff asked, turning to look at her. His eyes were wide as he took in her appearance. "Sook, you look like shit, what up?" he demanded.

Sookie leaned forward and tilted her blinds open, smiling at the comfort of the sun shining in her window.

"I really don't wanna talk about it yet, Laff, still thinking things thru" Sookie responded quietly.

"Uh huh, we aren't shopping today, I want you to stay in and try to relax" Laff told her in his take-no-prisoners tone of voice.

"I am just hoping Sandy doesn't need me today" Sookie said quietly, "I need a day to stay in and do nothing"

Lafayette turned back to the stove, turning the eggs over as the toast popped out of her toaster. "Well breakfast is almost ready, we gots, eggs, toast, Lafayette's special strawberry preserves, coffee and bacon" he said, making her a large plate.

Setting it in front of her, he plated his own food and grabbed them both utensils and sat at the table with her.

"I've no idea if I have any juice Laff, want me to check?" she offered

"Nope, coffee is good for me" he replied, taking a long look at her as he started on his plate "Did you go running?"

"Yeah, it was hard on the treadmill, but when I got on the foot path, I found my cadence, I ended up going til dawn" she confessed, taking a bite of the eggs and a sip of coffee.

"Sookie, you need to sleep, you look like its been days"

"I feel like its been days"

Sookie's phone rang then. Sighing, she stood up to go grab it, but Lafayette had beaten her to it.

"Sookie's phone, this is Lafayette speaking" there was a pause, then she heard him say "Sandy, can I come sit with you instead? Sookie needs to sleep, she looks like she has been burning the candle at both ends….alright, let me finish this coffee and I'll be there soon" he said closing her phone and bringing it to her.

"I am going to go sit with Sandy for a while, you go back to bed. Nothing is wrong, she just wanted company"

Sookie nodded, finishing her breakfast. "I'm so tired Laff" she confessed.

"You wanna tell me what is getting to you? Aside from the Victor issue?" Laff asked her.

"I am just making a mess, can it wait, I need more sleep and then I can focus" she said.

They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes, when Laff spoke "Alright, but later, we are hashing this out, I don't want you being like this any longer" he insisted.

Grabbing both empty plates, Laff walked back to the kitchen and loaded the dishwasher. Taking the extra few minutes to clean up the kitchen, he grabbed Sookie's arm gently and dragged her to her bedroom.

"Get in bed and then I'll leave to visit with Sandy" he said from the doorway as he watched her take off her robe and crawl in between the covers.

"Alright Sooks, you call if you need anything and I'll be back around dinner time, want me to bring anything?" he offered

"Edy's Cookies and Cream Ice Cream" she requested

"Ahhhh men troubles" Laff said knowingly "alright, I'll bring it and pizza and we'll get all this out and dissected"

Sookie heard him lock the door as he left. _'I am so glad I gave him that key' _she thought silently, as she drifted off to sleep again.

* * *

Lafayette was walking up the stairs to his car, parked in Sookie's garage drive way, when he saw Eric walking down the stairs.

"I just made her go back to bed, she looks like hell" Laff said, holding his arm up.

"I just need to talk to her" Eric insisted.

"Come back later, I am bringing pizza and ice cream for dinner. Sandy called while we had brunch and I am going to sit with her so Sookie can get some more sleep. The girl was jogging until sunrise" Laff said shaking his head in frustration. "She does that when she stresses"

"What time?" Eric asked him "For dinner I mean"

"I am planning on being back around 6, plain pizza and cookies and cream ice cream, it's her favorite" he answered

"Alright, I'll grab the pizza though, you just worry about the ice cream, and stop by my apartment before you go down" Eric said pointing at his door "I'll bring the pizza"

"Above her?" Laff asked with a laugh.

"Yep, just moved in a few days ago"

"Alright bossman, I'll come get you, make sure pizza is extra cheese, the best is this little hole in the wall around the corner" Lafayette explained how to get to the pizza place as they walked up the stairs.

They agreed to meet back at 6 and both went their separate ways.

* * *

Eric managed to find the pizza place with no problems and got three pizzas. He was unsure how much they would eat and how good the pizza was going to be.

He knew he needed to talk to Sookie, but was not willing to talk to her alone. When he was honest with himself, he could admit, he was afraid of her. After leaving her apartment the night before, he'd called Pam. Hoping that if she was with him, talking to him, he would be able to resist the urge to go back to Sookie's apartment and break all of his own rules.

He'd wanted to press himself into her soft body, he wanted to feel her lips on his, he wanted to hear her crying out his name, and most frightening of all, he wanted to be there in the morning when she woke up. Eric wanted to know what her favorite toothpaste was, what her shampoo smelled like, and her favorite color.

After talking to Pam for a few hours, Eric had been ready to admit he was more than infatuated with Sookie. He was willing to admit that he was interested in her and he wanted more from her than just a roll in the hay.

It was very late when Pam finally left, after listening to him complain and whine like a girl about how he didn't do relationships, she finally let him have it.

"Eric, shut up, for god's sake, just shut up for a moment" Pam said, holding her hand up "You need to decide if you want this woman, or if you want to let her go, she is not going to be one of your normal….associations. Sookie is the kind of girl you commit to. If you aren't willing to do that, then leave it be cause you'll hurt both of you and it will be unfair"

"I don't do relationships Pamela" Eric said, looking at her hard.

"Please! You don't do relationships because you pick girls with no brains, no woman in her right mind or with half a brain would agree to your terms. Sookie is not stupid, nor is she someone you can play your games with, she is a traditional woman, with values, and confidence, and enough sense of herself to not need a man. If she is with someone it is because she chose to allow them in her life, you cannot play games with her"

"I'm no good at commitment"

"You are a scared chicken shit, you pick women who are too stupid to see your game, and who would want to be committed to them. I know you Eric Northman, you are starting to realize you want more than meaningless sex, you are starting to think about wanting someone you can talk to, someone you can share yourself with, someone who wants to be with you, who can challenge you and be a real mate to you. And all that scares the shit out of you, grow some balls"

Eric sat in silence staring at his sister. Pam was staring right back, her arched eyebrow daring him to deny it.

"I rest my case" she said, getting up and walking towards the door "You need to think before you fuck anything else up anymore"

Eric stood up, listening to her. Opening the door they hugged and she stepped thru "I'll call you tomorrow, just get some sleep" she told him, when they heard a gasp and footsteps from the parking lot.

They both turned and saw Sookie standing there, her mouth open, her eyes wide as she stood staring at them.

Eric stepped into the hallway "Sookie" he said, stepping towards her. Pam knew it was bad when she saw Sookie turn and jog off, saying nothing. Eric had tried to catch her but by the time he'd cleared the building she had disappeared.

Pam saw him walking back towards her "That was bad" she said.

Eric just nodded

"You'll need to explain things to her Eric, she has no clue I'm your sister" she said

He nodded again and looked at her

"Alright, go to bed, I'll talk to you later" she said walking away.

Pam had driven the parking lot a couple of times hoping to catch Sookie, but she was nowhere in sight.

* * *

After placing the order for the pizzas, Eric went back home, he had 2 hours to kill, so he tried to lay down and get some more sleep. He managed to get an hour in, and got up to take a shower.

Arriving at the pizza place, he picked up the order and managed to get back to Sookie's house by 6. His timing was perfect because he ran into Lafayette walking into the building.

"Good Job bossman" Laff said smiling at the boxes Eric was carrying. Holding up a bag he smiled "I got dessert"

Walking down the stairs behind Laff, Eric noticed he had a key to Sookie's apartment. Locking the door behind him, Eric followed Laff past Sookie's bedroom and into the kitchen as they started setting the table and getting drinks out.

"She looks like hell" Lafayette told him "Just prep yourself when you see her, she had no sleep last night, she was jogging, that only happens when her stress level goes thru the roof"

"She jogs when she is stressed?"

"She jogs, and drinks coffee and forgets to eat, she turns into a hot mess" Laff said, shaking his head. "I don't know how she makes it up here"

"Up here?" Eric asked curious about the sleeping girl.

"We are both from Bon Temps Louisiana. Sooks grandmother is still there. She visits frequently. When we were in high school, at exam time, Sookie was a mess, she didn't sleep, she didn't eat, it was hell. But she always got an A. The girl just thrives on stress, I don't know how she does it. Here in DC, its worse, stress is all over, folks all the time, watching your move, your expression, your behavior, its almost worse than Hollywood"

Eric was silently pouring ice tea into glasses and setting them on the table.

"So, what exactly are your intentions with my girl?" Lafayette asked, watching him freeze over the table.

Eric sighed and sat down in a chair "I need to talk to her, we seem to make big messes"

"But I asked you what are your intentions bossman, I won't be allowin' you to mess with my girl if you are just lookin' for your next city hookup. Sooks is not that type of girl, she was brought up better than that"

"I don't know, I want more, I just don't know if I can do more, I need to talk to her" Eric said, meeting Laff's gaze.

"Uh-huh, well here is your only warning, I ain't go nothing against anybody lookin' to scratch their itch, you know. BUT you scratch the itch of our Sookie, you better realize it means you are stayin. I won't tolerate games, I'll ruin you myself, and I'm PR, I can do it and nobody will know what happened"

Eric nodded, "I am not intending for things to be that way"

"Then we straight, now, we gots to go wake up Sleeping Beauty in there – you wanna help me?" Laff asked walking towards the bedroom.

Eric stood in the doorway, as Lafayette jumped on the bed yelling "GET UP, GET UP, GET UP, GET UP" at Sookie, who woke up laughing and throwing pillows at the tall black man jumping on her bed.

"LAFAYETTE REYNOLDS, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" she yelled, laughing as he fell onto the bed beside her.

"Wakin' your ass up, sugar, we gots pizza and ice cream to be devouring you know, and its after 6." He said holding her head close to his shoulder as she snuggled into him with a yawn.

"I'm so tired, I feel like I haven't slept in days" she said "Did they move the Congressional speech?"

"Yep, but only by days, you don't have to give it til Friday, I think you should stay home tomorrow, pull yourself together"

"I'll think about it, right now, I want pizza, gooey cheesey pizza" she said laughing, and smacking him in the head with a pillow as she jumped out of bed in her filmy nightgown and running into a wall.

As she was stumbling backward, she realized the wall had arms, and those arms had wrapped around her.

"Oh" she said, freezing for a moment, looking up she was staring into laughing blue eyes.

"Dinner is on the table" Eric said looking down at her, his arms wrapped around her to keep her from falling.

"Come on" Laff said, getting up off the bed casually "Let's eat"

Eric let Sookie go and led the way into the dining room. Her tummy was rumbling as they neared the table.

"I'm starving" she said quietly, climbing onto one of her pub stools.

"Me too" Laff said, opening a box "Bossman here was tasked with pizza delivery, I got dessert, Edy's is in your freezer waiting"

"How was Sandy?" Eric asked grabbing a slice of pizza after sitting in his chair.

"She was good" Laff replied in between bites "She is stressing, but not as bad as I've seen her, Victor looked better, given the circumstances. The doctor came in while I was there, was saying that his reflexes were good and something about swelling going down, and that they were removing the drain Tuesday"

"Did she have the kids or say how they are doin?" Sookie asked, she'd finished her first slice and was grabbing a second, this time taking time to pour on crushed red pepper.

"She said they are adapting, trying to understand what is going on, but overall doing well. Her parents are still stayin at the house. They are gonna stay until after Victor comes home, so they can help where they can"

Sookie nodded, grabbing her third slice and adding crushed red pepper as Laff grabbed his second, followed quickly by Eric.

"Did you sleep while I was gone?" Laff asked her

"Some, I stayed in bed, but I was up and down" she said, "I think I got maybe 2 more hours altogether. I'll take something to sleep tonight" she said, taking a large sip of her tea, "I just can't seem to stop my mind from wandering, but I am very glad I don't have to do the speech til Friday, I just don't think I'd get through it right now"

"Is the speech done?" Eric asked, looking between the two of them.

Laff nodded "Sooks wrote an excellent piece, all I've had to do is minor editing, nothing major, but she can't seem to leave it alone" he laughed "She's got that whole perfectionist thing going on"

"I am not going to give a bad speech for someone Laff, you know better" Sookie said finishing her slice of pizza and leaning back in her chair. Taking a deep breath, she walked to the kitchen and grabbed the pitcher of tea, bringing it to the table.

Filling her glass, "anyone need a refill?" she offered, after getting negative nods from both men, she set the pitcher on the table beside the pizza box.

Lafayette was looking between Sookie and Eric as the silence filled the room. Finishing his slice, he wiped his hands on a napkin and stood up.

"Well, I love you both, but even I can see yous gots stuff to discuss and as much as I want to hear it, I know you ain't gonna do it with my ass here, so fix it and get it done, I'll talk to you tomorrow Eric, and Sooks, don't let me catch your ass in the office til Tuesday"

After finishing his sentence, Lafayette practically ran towards the door, leaving the couple sitting at the table in a stunned silence.

Eric spoke first "Sookie, the woman you saw-"

"Its not important" Sookie said, holding her hand up, her eyes moving quickly around the room

"It is to me" Eric stated firmly

"Its not to me" Sookie replied, getting up from the table, to move Lafayette's plate to the kitchen.

"Its my sister, Sookie, she's lived here for about 4 years now, she came over last night cause I called her, it was the only way I could make sure I didn't come back down here to you" he confessed. Eric had started walking towards her as he spoke and was standing directly behind her. His hands on the counter on either side of her, effectively trapping her. He leaned his head forward, smelling her, as his nose grazed the back of her neck.

Sookie was frozen, feeling him behind her, his presence so close to her. She closed her eyes as she felt his nose on the back of her neck.

"I wanted to come back" Eric whispered from behind her "I was wrong to leave you and I can't stop thinking about you" his teeth were nibbling at her ear, as she groaned, leaning back into him.

"I was in bed, just thinking about how quiet it was without you Sookie, how much I wanted to feel you near me" he whispered, his hands rubbing up her arms squeezing them, pulling her into him.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"I was in bed, just thinking about how quiet it was without you Sookie, how much I wanted to feel you near me" he whispered, his hands rubbing up her arms squeezing them, pulling her into him.

Sookie let her head fall back on his shoulder, as he trailed his kisses down her neck, moving along her shoulder slowly.

Her hand rising up to his head, she moved her fingers through his hair to his scalp, scratching her pleasure quietly. She sighed, feeling his kisses move back up her neck to her mouth. Turning her mouth to his, their lips met, it was Eric who opened his mouth slowly at first, his tongue slipping out running across her slightly parted lips, seeking entry into her mouth.

He moaned when he felt her mouth open under his, his senses over come with her taste, the feel of her tongue moving across his. His ears heard the moans coming from her as his hands moved to the belt holding her robe closed, he felt her hand on his head clutching him close.

His hands pulled the belt ends, allowing them to fall from his hands as the robe opened, his hands pushing the robe down her shoulders, revealing her nightgown. The straps clinging to her shoulders, holding the top to her breasts, the soft cotton felt warm under Eric's hands.

Their lips parted as his hands moved to her breasts. Their eyes locked with each other, as she whimpered in pleasure, feeling his hands cupping her breasts, teasing her nipples.

"Oh god!" she cried out softly, her eyes glazed with desire as she sucked in her bottom lip, nibbling on it to keep from crying out as she felt him sucking gently on the skin of her neck.

Her robe fell to the floor silently as Eric turned her slowly, his arms wrapping around her waist, pulling her tightly to him.

"You're all I think about sweet Sookie" he whispered in her ear, causing her to shiver in his embrace. Pressing a kiss just below her ear, gently sucking on the skin, "I love the way you taste" he hands running up her arms as his kisses moved along her jaw line, forcing her head up "I crave your skin under my hands" he said.

Pressing his lips to hers, his tongue traced along her top lip, seeking entrance, which she gave, quickly. Her arms wrapping around his neck, she clung to him, pressing herself into him. He slipped the straps of her gown down, his hands on her bare breasts. He moaned, as he bent down, pressing his arm into her knees, he easily lifted her up, pressing his lips to her as he left the kitchen, moving towards her bedroom.

Laying her down on the bed, he kissed down her chest, as he moved to lay above her on the bed, his mouth moving to her breasts. Sookie was lost in the sensation of his mouth, crying out as he gently bit her nipple. Eric was pushing her nightgown down her waist and legs as he alternated his attention on her breasts. Her hands clutching his shoulders, her eyes closed as her head moved side to side.

He was kissing his way down her stomach, pulling his own shirt off without missing a beat. Sookie's hands were in his hair, pulling slightly as she moaned loudly. He was moving between her thighs grateful she had no panties on; kissing the inside of her thigh he felt her rubbing his head, when he heard her voice

"Eric wait" she said breathlessly "I can't do this" she said, moaning as he sucked on the sensitive flesh of her thigh, his hand moving up to her core, "Oh God" she cried as he slid a finger in.

"You're so wet for me Sookie" he stated "Do you want me to stop?" he asked gently. His finger moving in and out of her gently when he felt a barrier across her channel "Sookie?" he asked his tone holding the question.

Groaning, Sookie was responding to him, too far gone in the sensation to notice him talking to her. Eric moved his way up her thigh, pressing open mouthed kisses as he made his way up. Using both of his thumbs, he opened her lower lips, looking at the moisture that was calling to him. Hearing Sookie's groan moved him into action, pressing forward his tongue moving along her slit, he felt her hips buck in response.

"Oh Eric" she cried "Yes" when his tongue traced circles around her bud. Her breathing was jagged; coming out in spasms as she gently ground her hips, trying desperately to move his tongue to connect with her nerve center.

"You taste so sweet" he whispered, moving one hand to slide a finger into her again. Moving passed the barrier; he was curling it inside of her, touching her as no other had.

Sookie was crying out then, her mind lost to the pleasure. His tongue finally grazing her pearl, as he sucked it into his hot mouth. Sookie's hip rose from the bed, her hands clutching the blankets beside her, as she cried loudly "YES, ERIC YES"

Releasing her with a "pop" Eric smirked from between her legs. Flattening his tongue against her, he was moving quickly then, using his other hand to press a hand to her belly, holding her still, pressing her hips back on to the bed. He heard her breathing speed up. Her walls were clenching his finger, he knew she was close. Curling the finger inside of her, and nipping at her clit, he sent her over the edge. Sookie came with a scream tearing itself from her throat, her body covered with a sheen of sweat. "ERIC!" she cried.

Kissing his way back up her body, Eric was patiently waiting for her sanity to return.

"Eric" she breathed "I think you need to know something" she whispered.

"I already know Sookie" he replied, rolling to his side, pulling her close to him.

"How could you know?" she asked looking up at him.

Eric glanced at her, and brought a finger to his mouth, licking it clean, he arched an eyebrow staring at her.

Sookie flushed bright red, hiding her face in his side.

"How have you managed to avoid it?" he asked, pulling her face back up, his eyes locking hers.

"I just….I mean….I never….I…do you really want to know?" Sookie flushed.

"Yes, I'm curious how an incredibly beautiful, successful woman managed to not have sex in her lifetime" Eric stated

"I'm not good with people, on a personal level" Sookie said "I have trust issues….I don't know how to let people in"

Eric nodded, pulling her close as he pressed his lips to hers. "My gain" Eric whispered, rolling over, pressing her into the mattress "You are a beautiful woman Sookie" he said kissing his way down her neck.

Pulling away from her he stood up beside the bed and took off his jeans, his eyes never leaving hers. He watched as Sookie's gaze moved down his body, her eyes widening as they fell on his erection. Eric knew he was large; he was worried about how much he was going to hurt her in a few moments.

Sookie reached out with her hand, wrapping it around him, as she moved her hand slowly up and down, watching as Eric moaned, leaning his head back his hips moving in time with her hand.

Bending down, he reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out a small foil. Moving back to the bed, he settled between her legs, kissing her again. Sookie's hand moved to his shoulder, holding him close. Pulling away she spoke again "Eric….I can't do this" she whispered "I can't be one of your girls" she continued "I just can't do that, I can't handle the usual bouquet, I'm not like those women, I can't be"

"I can't guarantee that this will work Sookie, but I can promise you I will try. You could never be like any of them" he said, holding her face between his hands "I want to see where this takes us, if you can do that, I can promise there will be no other"

Kissing her briefly Eric pulled back, "How could there be anyone after you?"

Sookie stared at him, full of questions. Her mind racing, full of what-ifs, her body stiffening with her indecision. Eric pressed his lip to her collar bone, trailing kisses left a trail of fire in its wake. His thumbs tracing small circles on her cheeks as he cradled her head.

"Sookie, I won't force you into anything, if you don't want to proceed, we can stop" he said, his voice husky, full of lust and desire.

"What about work? How will we handle that? I don't know you Eric, you are used to many women, I don't know if I can compete with that, what if I'm not enough? And Victor…." She whispered

"Sookie, we can work it all out as we go, all you need is to be willing." Pausing Eric looked at her; his lips hovering above hers "So, are you willing? Will you take the chance?"

* * *

**AN: Yes, I did it again. BUT I did give you some relief didn't I? Aren't I at least a little bit good to you? **

**Before you start throwing food or sharp objects at the monitor, please remember, if you kill me, I can't update :) :) :) Much love to all! Especially Eric! woohoo, I've got a date with my TV at 9pm tonight! hee hee hee hee wooohooo Eric Eric Eric, ok, I'll be calm now!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Sookie, we can work it all out as we go, all you need is to be willing." Pausing Eric looked at her; his lips hovering above hers "So, are you willing? Will you take the chance?"

They were frozen for several moments. Sookie with her mind racing, trying to make a decision that was intelligent, and Eric, watching Sookie, hoping for an outcome he wanted.

It was the sound of Eric's phone ringing that brought them to their senses. When Eric turned, moving to get up out of the bed, Sookie raised her hand to his shoulder, stopping him. Eric turned his gaze to her, his eyes holding the question.

"I don't want this moment to end" she whispered, lifting herself up to him, she pressed her lips to his throat, as she wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Sookie.." he whispered, his eyes closing as he felt her lips pressing against him. "Are you sure?" he asked

"I am sure I don't want this to end" she whispered before pressing her lips to his "Just, please…don't hurt me" she said quietly, her eyes shut.

Eric moaned his response, returning her kiss as his tongue began probing her mouth, leaving no part of it untouched. The phone ringing in the background forgotten in the storm of their passion.

Sookie's hands found their way to his pants, unbuttoning and unzipping them she was pushing them down his hips as his hands found their way to her breasts.

"Oh Sookie" he mumbled as his mouth caught one pink tip, his hand squeezing her other breast gently. As he moved his mouth from one pink tip to the other, his hand traveled down her body, to the apex between her legs. Finding her now swollen bundle of nerves, he began rubbing his thumb across it and sliding two fingers inside her tight wet core.

Sookie arched her back into him, crying out in pleasure. She was so sensitive she could feel the heat from his body igniting hers. "God yes….Eric…please" she begged, lost in all the sensations she was feeling. Her hands traveling to his stiff hardness pressing into her stomach. Squeezing gently she started moving her hand up and down.

Eric moaned deeply, pressing his head into her chest between her breasts. Kissing the skin, sucking on it gently, he shivered and sped up the motion of his thumb, he wanted her begging for him before he entered her.

It didn't take Sookie long to feel the tightening in her stomach and legs. As she began to tense up the waves of pleasure became more frequent, her head moving back and forth on the bed. "YES…ERIC….don't stop…..so close" she cried, tears falling from her eyes.

Eric felt her internal walls tightening, signaling the beginning of her release and he started curling his fingers inside her, helping her find the finish she needed.

Sookie yelled as she found her climax, clinging to his shoulders, her body rigid from the pleasure. Eric sucked a pink tip into his mouth as he watched her face relax and felt her shiver.

"Please…" she begged her eyes opening to focus on him

"Please what?" he asked, needing to hear her say it.

"I want to feel you" she said breathlessly

Kicking his pants off, Eric rolled over, opening the condom and sliding it on. Sookie watched him, her fear taking over again, she bit her lip. As Eric rolled back to her, he saw the fear in her eyes and sensed her hesitation.

Sookie wrapper her arms around his neck, pulling him down for another kiss.

Eric was lost in the sensation of her skin, the taste of her on his lips. Coherent thought no longer possible, he lined himself up with her entrance. Hesitating for a moment, his gaze held hers "It will hurt for a moment" he cautioned.

Sookie stared at him, trusting him, she nodded.

Pushing in slowly, Eric moaned at her warmth "Shit Sookie…you are so tight for me lover" he said hoarsely, struggling to remain in control of himself.

Sookie sighed at how full she felt, his warmth triggering her to spread her legs wider, wrapping them around his waist. Her nails grazing both of his arms as she arched her back into him. Sucking on her bottom lip, she moaned as she felt him stretching her, filling her more and more with each passing moment.

Eric continued to slowly push into her, feeling the barrier, he paused for a moment, looking down at her, her head back, her eyes glazed in pleasure, her hair on the bed spread around her like a golden halo, and he knew. He knew no matter what happened and what the future would bring them, he wanted this woman forever, he wanted her to be the first thing he saw in the morning and the last thing he saw at night.

Pushing forward forcefully he broke thru her barrier. Trying to maintain control, he paused giving her a chance to recover.

Sookie flinched as she felt the rip inside her. Her nails digging into his arms for a moment. Her eyes filled with tears she struggled to control. Taking a deep breath she tried to relax her body willing herself to forget the pain as she began to feel the heat of him filling her. Nodding, she moved her hips up to his, taking him inside her more as Eric looked down at her.

His lips pressed against her as he pushed into her filling her completely, their hips touching as he remained still buried deep inside her.

* * *

**AN: My apartment building has been evacuated for the past 3 days - we had a gas leak and they have yet to determine the exact cause. As a result, I've not had my laptop - I was lucky to get my clothes out. I did however manage to grab my memory stick which is how I can post this - on a borrowed pc. I should be up and running soon, sorry for the delay :) Much love to everyone**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Sookie flinched as she felt the rip inside her. Her nails digging into his arms for a moment. Her eyes filled with tears she struggled to control. Taking a deep breath she tried to relax her body willing herself to forget the pain as she began to feel the heat of him filling her. Nodding, she moved her hips up to his, taking him inside her more as Eric looked down at her.

His lips pressed against her as he pushed into her filling her completely, their hips touching as he remained still buried deep inside her.

Sookie felt a warmth taking over her body, it was radiating from her core, making her think of nothing other than him filling her, stretching her. She wiggled under him, desperate for what he could give her.

"Please…" she pleaded breathlessly under him as she broke from the kiss.

Eric felt her movements under him, heard her words when she begged him. Gently he withdrew, slowly, pausing, his tip at her entrance, he slid in again. Sookie sighed as he filled her, she arched her back into him, her head tilting back invitingly.

Eric pressed open mouth kisses to the column of her throat, moaning as he filled her. The warmth of her driving him on. "So tight for me Sookie" he moaned.

"Don't stop moving" she begged, moving her hips up to his.

Eric began to thrust, his pace quickening as he pushed deep inside of her, touching a part of her that took her breath away. As he pressed into her, his arms slid up her back, gripping her shoulders gently, pulling her down on to him as he thrust in. His lips moved up her throat to her ear, where he whispered "You are so wet for me my Sookie, so hot"

Sookie felt his breath on her ear, heard his words but was lost to the heat radiating from him. Everywhere he touched her caused her to burn hotter. Her legs tightened around his waist, as she moved her hips to meet his thrusts. Her hands moving to his neck, gripping his hair.

Eric began to feel the tightening in his lower belly, signaling his impending release. "Cum for me Sookie" he said, arching to take a pink tip in his mouth. He felt her walls tightening around him, clenching him as she started her climax. "Give it to my baby" he growled, her channel getting wetter with each thrust.

Sookie felt her body tightening, her toes squeezing with the spasms that were taking over her body. Her eyes closed as she felt the explosion from her core, "OH GOD" she cried clinging to him as her walls gripped him.

Eric felt her stiffening under him, her cries confirming what her body already told him. He thrust into her as her walls gripped him tightly, wrenching his own orgasm from him, he threw his head back with a growl into the air, speeding up his movements as he let loose his seed.

His head fell to her shoulder as he slowed down, and finally stopped moving, their bodies covered in sweat. Sookie's arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him close for a kiss. Pushing his forehead into hers, he sighed as he released her lips.

"Wow" she whispered, smiling up at him.

"Wow yourself" he answered smiling at her, his arms above her shoulders, holding him above her.

"I think you're pretty ok at that" she giggled

"Ok?" he asked, arching an eyebrow at her in mock anger

"Yep, ok, we'll have to work on perfecting your technique" she laughed

"I am so glad you are able to help me with that Miss Stackhouse" he purred

"Oh yes, Mr. Northman, I'll assist you with that whenever possible, we cannot allow you to….fall short….in any capacity" she snickered in reply

"You are so good to me" he responded drolly

"I know" she smiled and nodded in reply

"I think you should report to my office early tomorrow morning, we should discuss this further at that time" he said, pressing kisses to her neck and collarbone

"Oh no…we'll never get any work done" she replied, moving her head to the side to give him better access

"And we got anything done before? I had an admin who was determined to torment me"

"Really? I had an executive who was a total schmuck to me"

"Was he now? What did he do?"

"I'll have you know, he came onto me when he first met me, it was absolutely astounding" she whispered her reply

"Did you give into him? Make his day?" Eric asked smiling at her as her hands ran through his hair.

"Absolutely not" she replied "I am not that kind of girl"

"No you aren't" he purred back "Your mine, you'll have to point this asshole out so I can beat him up" he replied.

Eric pulled out of her then, causing them both to groan at the loss. Getting off the bed, he stepped into her bathroom.

Sookie heard him walking back towards the bed, and felt him climb in beside her, his arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her close to him, as he pulled the blankets up to cover them both.

* * *

**AN: Another short one, sorry :)**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Sookie heard him walking back towards the bed, and felt him climb in beside her, his arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her close to him, as he pulled the blankets up to cover them both.

Holding her close, Eric kissed the top of her head as she snuggled into him, her legs wrapping with his.

"Do you need to check your phone?" Sookie asked quietly.

"No, the only thing that matters right now, is right here" he said, squeezing her gently.

Smiling at him, Sookie lifted her head, pressing her lips to his. Eric's hand cupped her cheek, pulling her up slightly as his tongue caressed hers.

Settling back down, Sookie snuggled into him, laying her head in the middle of his chest, with a yawn. Intending on closing her eyes for just a moment, she didn't realize it when she fell asleep.

Eric heard her breathing even out, and relaxed with his arm around her. He found her warmth pressed against him comforting.

It was the sunlight streaming through the windows that woke Eric up. Sookie was turned on her side and he was cuddled her behind her. A glance at her clock told him it was 6:18 a.m.

"Good Monday morning" he whispered with a sigh.

Reaching over, he flipped off her alarm clock, ensuring that she could sleep in. He had no intention of letting her go into the office today. With a smile, he took a deep breath and reveled in the sweet smell of Sookie.

Running his hand up her bare arm, he nuzzled her neck, unable to resist the bare flesh exposed to him. His tongue trailing down her neck to her shoulder.

Sookie smiled and turned in his arms to face him, her eyes still closed.

"I was afraid it was a dream…..that you would be gone when I woke up" she whispered. Her arm wrapping around his waist as she cuddled into him, pressing a kiss to his chest before she laid her head against it.

Eric smiled, resting his head on top of hers. "I'm here" he said, his hand rubbing her back. "I do need to go to the office today, but I'm going to go later"

"I'll go in with you" she whispered

"I want you to stay home today. You've not gotten enough sleep, you can go in tomorrow" he said

"But we have so much to do" she murmured

"And it can get done tomorrow Sookie, I'm serious, you are to stay home today. I'm not going in til later and only long enough to put in an appearance" he said quietly, "You need to stay home and rest lover"

Sookie sighed and drifted off to sleep. Eric dozed for another hour, before climbing out of bed. Walking into the kitchen, Eric fumbled around looking for the coffee. Finding it, he set about making a pot, while he popped some bread into the toaster. Pouring himself a cup, he downed it quickly with his toast. Setting the timer for a delayed brew, he hoped Sookie would wake and find a warm pot of coffee.

Walking back to the bedroom, Eric smiled at Sookie's sleeping form. 'My Angel' he thought with a smile. Pulling on his clothes, he leaned over pulling the covers up around her, he pressed a light kiss to her lips.

"Sleep well my angel" he whispered in her ear. Looking around the apartment, he made sure Bella was fed, hoping she would let Sookie sleep later and walked out the door.

Walking upstairs, he let himself into his apartment and got himself ready for the day. It was almost two hours later he walked towards his garage, dressed in a suit, with his cell phone and laptop case in hand. Climbing into his car he started checking his messages, Pam was the one who called last night.

"If you're not answering this, I want details" Pam left on his voicemail. With a grin, Eric called her back.

"Good Morning sunshine" Pam said as a greeting

"Pam" Eric responded, his lips curling into a smile

"So do I get the details? I won't even ask who"

"No and Sookie"

"You were with Sookie?" she asked incredulously

"Yep and no details, I am on the way to the office, and she is out today, want lunch?" Eric offered

"Not if I don't get details, you need to give me something to make it worth the trip out there"

"No details" Eric responded

"Do I get to find out how this even happened?" Pam asked

"We talked that's it"

"I think you did more than talk" Pam smirked

"I'll talk to you later sister dear" Eric said, refusing to provide anymore information as he closed the phone. Pulling into his parking space, he saw Sookie's car still parked in the garage. Gathering his gear, he made his way up the elevator and towards his office.

Walking through the kitchen, he noticed nobody had made coffee. Cheryl was sitting outside his office at Sookie's desk, she had his calendar and a few messages in her hand.

"Good Morning Mr. Northman" she greeted brightly

"Good Morning Cheryl, Sookie won't be in today, in case anyone is looking for her, and I can take all of Victor's phone calls" he replied reading through the messages she'd handed him.

"Would you like their messages? Sookie told me she would handle both her calls and Mr. Madden's"

"Yes please, I'll make sure there is nothing that can't wait until tomorrow, I expect Sookie back then" He said taking their messages in hand "Do you need help with anything?" he offered

"Well, there is a Bill Compton who keeps calling, he is almost demanding that Sookie call him the minute she gets in the office, he sounds very….unprofessional" she stated

"I'll handle it" Eric replied, easily as he walked into his office

Sitting at his desk, he docked his laptop and shutting his door, hung his suit jacket on the back. Leaving his door shut, he dialed Bill to find out what was going on, although he was sure he already knew. It had been impossible to miss the way Bill had been leering at Sookie during their meeting on Friday.

"Bill Compton" the man said answering his phone

"Good Morning Bill, its Eric Northman. I got a message from my temp that you were looking for Sookie and she is out today, I wanted to make sure there was nothing I could help you with" Eric offered, already knowing the answer was no.

"Thank you Eric, no, I was hoping to connect with Sookie today. I know she is taking over for Victor and I wanted to take her to lunch to discuss this partnering agreement"

"Ahh yes. I understand" Eric replied with a chuckle, Sookie had given Bill a tight deal. He had no doubt Bill wanted to work out to his company's advantage. "Sookie is out today, and should be in tomorrow, but we aren't sure about that yet, her focus this week will be that Congressional Speech though, would you like to set up a time for us to connect? I am happy to step in and go over the agreement with you, no reason for you to wait"

"I don't have my calendar in front of me right now Eric, can I have my assistant call you? We can set up a time then" Bill lied coldly.

"Absolutely, have her call my cell and I'll move things around to accommodate, its no trouble at all" Eric said smiling.

"Will do, thank you for calling Eric" Bill replied just before hanging up.

Eric smiled as he released the call on his phone, turning in his chair, he logged into his computer and began checking his email. Looking at his calendar, he grabbed his notebook and headed off for the bid/no bid meeting that was scheduled to start in 10 minutes.

Making his way to the second kitchen on the floor, he grabbed a cup of coffee and headed down to the 3rd floor where the meeting was beginning. Grabbing up 2 copies of the materials, he realized how much he valued Sookie's opinion. Deciding to not vote a bid or no bid decision until after he'd gotten her opinion he managed to get thru the meeting taking notes that he wanted to discuss with her later that evening. His initial thought was to no bid, but he wanted to make sure she didn't have anything up her sleeve in the way of partnering options that he was unaware of at this time.

It was 2 hours before the staff stopped bickering and he called a halt to the meeting. Telling everyone to review the materials and for the facilitator to schedule a follow up meeting for next week.

With the meeting over, Eric made his way back to his office, he was greeted by Cheryl and a flood of phone messages from different people. The one he answered first was Amelia.

"Hey bossman" she answered

"Hey, why didn't you call my cell?" he asked

"Because I knew you were in a meeting and I decided to wait, I figured if I left a message you would call me back when you got a chance" she replied

"Ok, whats up?"

"Felicia is….she has called here like once an hour Friday and today, do something about it please" Amelia begged.

"Did you send her flowers?" Eric asked

"Of course, I sent the usual beautiful bouquet, I know she got them, I am just not sure what this need to call all the damn time is and she won't tell me anything"

"All right, I'll call her later, I am on the way to the hospital now, I'll try to call her from the car" Eric said with a sigh.

They reviewed a few other details, Amelia was going to be helping the movers with his house next week. She would be supervising the packing of his belongings and coordinating the storage needs.

Eric answered a few of his emails and undocked his pc. He told Cheryl to call his cell if she had any questions and he headed down to the garage to his rental car. On the way to visit with Sandy and Victor, Eric called Felicia, he got her voicemail and left her a message.

"Felicia, its Eric, Amelia said you were trying to get a hold of me, I'm not in California, I'm still in DC, I'll be here for another few weeks. Give me a call when you get this message, I'll try to answer or I'll call you when I can"

Arriving at the hospital, Eric sat with Sandy for a couple of hours. Victor was showing small improvements and was still on schedule for removal of his drain tube the next day.

As Eric was leaving Sandy stood up, walking out into the hall with him.

"She's very soft you know" She told him

"Who?" Eric asked

"Sookie. She keeps herself wrapped in all business because its what she does best. You have to look past it to see the real woman."

Eric smiled and said nothing, looking at the floor.

"I can tell you are fond of her Eric, and Victor knew it, he was talking about it the day before the crash, that you two were driving each other nuts" Sandy said smiling at him "Just give her some time to work through things. Her and Victor are close and I know she is feeling his loss right now. He would be doing the same thing without her. When she took her vacation last year, she was gone for a week, and I thought he was going to have a nervous breakdown" Sandy giggled

"I was sitting in a meeting today, and I realized exactly how much she does, I wasn't comfortable voting to bid or no bid a deal until I'd talked to her about details she may know" Eric said nodding.

Sandy looked at him, squeezing his arm "Now you know why Victor sent her to the meetings for him. He never went to bid/no bids because he couldn't vote until he talked to her about it" pausing she looked out a nearby window "I guess what I am saying is, just give her space and take it easy on each other. She is very sensitive"

"I will" Eric promised

Bidding her a good night, Eric left the hospital and made his way home. He didn't even stop at his apartment, instead made his way down stairs to Sookie, knocking on her door as he walked in.

"Sookie?" he called out, shutting the door behind him.

"In the shower" he heard her yell from her bedroom.

Grinning Eric moved towards the sound of her voice, unbuttoning his shirt as he walked in. He was out of his clothes and stepped into the shower behind a shocked Sookie.

Growling playfully, he pulled her into him as he stepped under the spray of the water.

"How was your day?" he asked, nipping at her neck

"Peaceful" she whispered, turning her head to give him better access as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Sookie leaned forward, pressing her lips to his chest, she asked "What are you doing here so early?"

"I am taking a shower with an incredibly beautiful woman, what about you?"he answered, his hands rising to her breasts.

"I was rinsing my hair, when this man jumped in my shower" Sookie answered, sighing as he squeezed her nipples lightly.

"Really? What did you do when you realized you weren't alone?" he asked, sucking on her earlobe.

"MMMMM well, fearing for my life, I gave into his demands" she answered, moaning as his fingers began tugging just the right way.

Eric turned her, pressing her back against his chest, kissing her shoulder "Really?" he asked, bringing his hands back to her pink, hard nipples.

"Uh-huh" she answered, her head tilting back into his chest as she closed her eyes, and moaned. Her hands grabbing his thighs, holding him close.

Eric let one of his hands slowly trail down her stomach. Continuing thru her curls, he parted her nether lips, and gently found her pleasure center. Rubbing slowly, he began to trace circles around his, never quite touching it.

"Eric" she moaned, gripping him tightly to her

"Yes lover?" he asked, licking the edge of her ear

"Oh God its good" she whispered

"I know, I want you to cum for me Sookie"


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Eric let one of his hands slowly trail down her stomach. Continuing thru her curls, he parted her nether lips, and gently found her pleasure center. Rubbing slowly, he began to trace circles around his, never quite touching it.

"Eric" she moaned, gripping him tightly to her

"Yes lover?" he asked, licking the edge of her ear

"Oh God its good" she whispered

"I know, I want you to cum for me Sookie"

"Make me" she whispered

Eric increased the speed of his hand, and began a direct assault on her nerve center. Using his other hand, he slid two fingers into her already drenched core and began pumping in and out of her.

Sookie already on edge, was over the edge in moments, crying out in pleasure, leaning into Eric as she came.

"Oh…..yes" she moaned, her heart beating in her ears.

Eric smiled in satisfaction, holding a shivering Sookie close. Rinsing them both of a final time, he turned off the water with one hand, holding Sookie up with the other.

"Can you stand?" he asked, after her nod, he stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel hanging on a hook and dried himself off quickly, and grabbed a second towel for Sookie, wrapping her in it as he lifted her out of the shower.

Giggling, Sookie wrapped her arms around his neck until he threw her on the bed "Eric!" she cried as she landed.

He landed ontop of her, his eyes dark with lust, as he kissed her and slid into her quickly. Sookie's legs wrapped around his waist tightly as she lifted her hips to meet his thrust.

"So hot for me….little Sookie….such a tight little cunt" he said thrusting in and out of her "Tell me who it belongs to.." he commanded

"you Eric, it's all yours" she moaned immediately, her hand sliding down between them to rub her clit.

"That is so hot Sookie" he said, watching her rub herself as he pumped in and out of her.

As soon as Sookie's walls gripped him, Eric came inside of her, his seed filling her womb as Sookie sent herself over the edge.

They pressed their foreheads to each other as they got their breathing under control. Giggling, Sookie pressed her lips to his for a brief kiss.

"What do you want to do for dinner?" she asked "I'm starving"

"We should go out, I don't want you cooking til tomorrow, I need you relaxing as much as possible, something tells me the next few weeks are going to be crazy" he said.

"They will be, with Victor out and after I give the Congressional speech, we will be at full swing, and that is when I will start introducing you to real people, it will be insanely busy, for both of us." She answered

"No business talk" he growled, rolling to her side, both of them sighing as he withdrew from her.

"There is a nice little restaurant I go to around the corner, we can sit in the bar and eat" she said "but we have to get dressed"

"Then I don't want to go, I prefer you with no clothes on" he answered with a smirk

"Uh-huh, but I'm hungry and you won't let me cook" she giggled in return as she pulled herself up from the bed and walked to her closet.

Eric sighed dramatically "I guess", and walked to the bathroom, pulling on his pants, he grabbed his shirt, sliding his arms thru it but didn't button it. "I'll go change and be back in a few minutes" he said, walking into the closet to press a kiss to her lips.

Walking up the stairs to his own apartment, Eric quickly hung his clothes in the closet and pulled on a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt, sliding his feet into a pair of casual flip flops, he grabbed his keys and headed back down to Sookie's apartment.

He found Sookie bent over in the kitchen feeding Bella, her shapely backside in the air.

"I love that view" he said coming up behind her as he pressed himself into her, eliciting a laugh out of Sookie as she stood upright.

"Uh-huh"

"Ready?" Eric asked, taking in her appearance with an arched eyebrow. She had on a pair of soft faded blue jeans and a red v-neck t-shirt with a pair of blue slip on shoes, her damp hair hanging freely.

"Yep, I just need to grab my purse" she said, walking towards the bedroom. Grabbing her purse, she met him at the door with a smile, as they headed up to his garage and made their way to dinner.

* * *

Sookie spent the day leisurely in bed, determined to not over analyze her decision on Eric. She was happy, she wanted to enjoy things for a while.

As she laid in bed most of the day, reliving the moments of the night, she decided she was ok with everything. She wanted to give Eric this chance, she was very attracted to him and when she was forced to admit it, she did enjoy his company. He had apologized to her, even if she hadn't accepted it.

She started to doze off, dreaming of the future and what it might hold, she was dreaming of her wedding, her dress of all white, her friends gathered around her as she walked down the church aisle, alone, to meet her future husband. His back was turned to her until she got closer and when he turned, she met the blue eyes she had come to treasure the past few days. Eric looked splendid in his white tux, his hair brushed back, his trim form made even more splendid by the cut of the jacket.

It was an odd banging in the building that brought her out of her dream, it almost sounded like it was on her door, but a quick peek thru the peep hole revealed an empty doorstep, so she went back to her room, crawling in between the blankets that smelled of him. As her head hit the pillow, she heard the odd banging again and a muffled voice.

Dismissing the sound, Sookie glanced at the clock noticing the time, she had been asleep for almost 3 hours, it was almost 3 p.m. Turning on her small TV she flipped to the weather channel, hoping for a break in the current heat wave they were dealing with.

Flipping channels, she found an amusing episode of "I Love Lucy" and relaxed to enjoy it. It was the ringing of her phone that woke her up a second time. Glancing at the clock, it was almost 6 p.m.

"Sookie Stackhouse" she answered

"Sooks…I just wanted to let you know, I emailed you an updated copy of the speech, review it tomorrow and we'll talk about it at the office" Lafayette told her.

"Ok, do you need a mark up sooner? I'm at home but I can log in if needed" she offered

"Nope tomorrow is fine, you keep resting, I just wanted to give you a heads up" he said "I'll talk to you tomorrow loves, ninight, and I want details on lover boy" he giggled and hung up the phone.

Sookie smiled, closing her phone and set it by the bed again. Stretching lazily, she got up and made her way to the shower. Her heart skipped a beat when Eric climbed in behind her...

* * *

The couple enjoyed their dinner, Sookie introduced Eric to Tony, her bartender and they shared food with each other and talked animatedly about siblings, exchanging horror stories on most embarrassing moments.

Making their way back to the apartment building, Eric stopped at his apartment to grab a suit for the morning to take to Sookie's, as she continued down the stairs.

Once inside, she changed into her nightgown, and made her way to the kitchen, setting up the coffee maker for auto brew, she sat down on the couch to wait for Eric as Bella crawled into her lap purring.

"Hi kitten" she said softly, rubbing Bella's face.

The blink of the cats eyes told her of Bella's pleasure. "Did you enjoy your evening? We went to dinner" she told her

Eric walked in Sookie's apartment and stopped for a moment, enjoying the sound of Sookie's voice and the image of Sookie on the couch with the happy cat in her lap. 'This is home' he thought to himself.

Sookie smiled as she saw Eric standing in the doorway.

"There is room in the closet if you want to hang that" she offered with a smile

Nodding Eric walked into her room and hung the suit up. Changing quickly, he pulled on a pair of blue pajama pants. Walking back to the living room, he snuggled up to Sookie on the couch, reaching over the pet the cat.

Bella sniffed him for a long moment and then gave his hand a quick lick before nuzzling it with her head.

"You've been accepted" Sookie said smiling

"Oh?" he asked arching his eyebrow

"She is very particular about who can touch her and who can't, you passed muster, you may touch her" Sookie explained.

Pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder, Eric smiled "Good"

"Movie?" Sookie offered, handing him the remote control.

"What are our options?" Eric asked, turning the TV on.

"Check the movie channels and see if you find anything and if not, we can do that On Demand thing through cable" she said.

Flipping they decided on "Clash of the Titans" and settled in. Sookie got up one time to go to the bathroom and grab a pill. She suffered from insomnia frequently and kept a light sedative in her bathroom for stressful times.

Walking into the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of water, and set the pill and the water on the table beside them before cuddling on the couch with Eric again.

"Prescription?" Eric asked

"Ambien" she replied looking at him, "I have bouts of insomnia, so I have a small stash of Ambien for when it gets bad. Since I was in bed all day, I will probably have a hard time tonight, so when the movie starts to end, I'll take my pill to make sure I sleep tonight" she explained.

"Would it be better if I slept upstairs?" he offered

"No, it wouldn't, I want you right where you are, I just have relaxing issues" she answered.

"I can help with those I am sure" he smirked wiggling his eyebrows

"Down boy" Sookie said with a giggle, "I don't want you making me sore from abuse, remember I'm not used to all of this….activity"

"Did I hurt you?" he asked, concern reflecting in his eyes.

"NO! I just don't know how my poor muscles are going to react to all the use, when they weren't getting used before" she replied, a light blush taking over her face. "I'll need to schedule an appointment with my GYN. I'll have her put me on the pill"

"You don't have to if you don't want to, we can keep using condoms" Eric said

"I know that, but I think the pill would be easier, I don't want to have to worry about making sure we have condoms all the damn time when I can take a pill and not worry about it at all" she explained

"I certainly won't complain" Eric said grinning

Snuggling, they returned to the movie. It wasn't long before Eric was yawning and dozing with Sookie in his arms. Reaching over him, Sookie grabbed her pill and took it. The movie ended soon after, and Sookie woke Eric to move him to the bedroom.

Making sure the door was locked, Sookie walked into her room, and smiled. Eric was on one side of the bed, his eyes almost closed, lying on his back. 'I like this' she thought to herself 'his presence is comforting'.

Climbing into bed, she grabbed her book and started reading as she waited for the Ambien to take effect. She didn't have long to wait and was soon drifting off to sleep, wrapped in the arms of her Eric.

* * *

They both groaned when the alarm went off at 5:45 a.m. the next morning. Eric made his way to the coffee maker, while Sookie got in the shower. Washing her hair, she was out as he walked back to the room with her coffee, and he jumped into the shower.

"I think its more entertaining when you're in here" he called out to her

"Uh-huh" she replied, giggling as she dressed in a black skirt and red sweater. Stepping into her black pumps, she got her jewelry on and returned to the bathroom to do her makeup as Eric stepped out, a towel wrapped around his waist.

Sookie licked her lips at the sight of him "Get dressed before we are late" she answered forcing her eyes away from him.

Eric's eyes took her in from head to toe and back to her head again. "Miss Stackhouse, I think you should report to my office, immediately this morning, I will have a task for you" he said, his voice heavy with lust.

"I am sure you will Mr. Northman, but I have a speech to review" she replied smartly, not risking a glance at him as she applied her eyeliner.

"This won't take long Miss Stackhouse, I assure you, and I will make it worth your time"

"We'll have to see what I can do about time, I can't make any promises" she evaded with a smirk of her own.

Eric stepped up behind her, his hands moving down her hips and legs to the edge of her skirt as he pulled them up again, pulling her skirt with them. "Oh really?" he asked

Sookie felt the air of the bathroom hitting her bare legs, and she groaned, her eyes closed "Eric" she whispered as his hands slid over her tummy down to her mound, the warmth of his hands burning her through her panties.

"Miss Stackhouse, you seem….distracted this morning" he whispered in her ear, his hands stopping and cupping her sex.

Sookie tried to stand still, tried to focus on anything but the warmth of his hand over her. It didn't work, her hips moved on their own, rolling back and forth in an effort to find the stimulation she needed.

"I'll see you in my office Miss Stackhouse" he whispered, before walking away, leaving her aching for more.

Grinning Eric walked into the closet, drying off and pulled on his suit and stepped out ready to face the day.

Sookie shivered, and managed to pull herself back together as she finished applying her make-up. Pushing her skirt down she finished her coffee and took both mugs to the kitchen and put them in the dishwasher.

Grabbing her laptop and bag she met Eric at the front door. The ride to the office was quiet for both of them, as they pondered on the coming events of the day. The sound of the radio breaking the comfortable silence between them.

They were the first to arrive on their floor and Sookie immediately began making coffee, while Eric carried her things to Victor's office. 'I like this' he thought to himself.

Sookie walked down the hall and into the office, finding her laptop already docked and turned on, her bag under the desk she smiled. 'I like this' she thought as a moment of panic hit her. Dismissing it, she pulled out her daytimer and started shifting through emails. It was 6:30 when she sat down. At 7 she walked back to the kitchen and poured coffee for her and Eric and walked back to his office. Setting the cup in front of him, she leaned against his desk.

"Did you go to the bid/no bid yesterday?" she asked

"Yep" he said grabbing the materials from the meeting "I meant to show you these yesterday, but I decided against it, they couldn't make a decision and are meeting again next week, you should see an invite for it" Eric said.

"I think I did" Sookie said, looking through the materials.

Eric looked at the open door for a moment, and listened, there was nobody on their floor yet. Standing up, he pushed Sookie backwards slowly. Towards his door, as he shut it, pressing her against it. Taking the materials out of her hand, he dropped them on the floor. He pulled her skirt up, his mouth claiming hers as he pressed himself against her with a moan.

Sookie hesitated for a moment, and then wrapped her arms around his neck, returning his kiss. His fingers found her core already wet, under her panties "Oh Sookie" he said quietly.

Unzipping his pants, he slid himself into her causing them both to gasp. Sookie brought her legs up as his hands slip around to grip her ass, holding her up against the door.

"I need it Eric" she whispered quietly

"Well its…" thrust "a good thing" thrust "I am gonna" thrust "give it" thrust "to you the" thrust "way you like it" thrust

Sookie was moving her head back and forth, her walls clenching him tightly as he moved in and out of her, his hips holding her so that he was rubbing her, giving her the frictions she needed so desperately.

With a loud moan, Sookie was over the edge, the fear of getting caught making her release more intense. She pulled Eric with her, his breathing jagged in her ear, a small moan escaping him as he filled her with his release.

Their lips meeting in a passionate kiss, demanding satisfaction.

Eric withdrew from her, and let her feet slide to the floor. Pulling back, he fixed his appearance and set to helping Sookie with hers.

"I told you Miss Stackhouse, you would make time for me" he said grinning.

Sookie giggled and walked down the hall to the restroom.

* * *

Once the day got started, it seemed to never end, Sookie was with Lafayette most of the day, changing and reviewing the speech.

Eric was in back to back meetings, neither one of them stopping to grab lunch.

It was close to 6 p.m. before Sookie could stop long enough to breathe. Making her way back to her office, she found Eric in his. Stepping into his doorway, she heard his voice on the phone.

"That isn't what I said…NO….I'll deal with it later" he said, his eyes rising to hers with a smile.

Hanging up the phone, he sat back in his chair "It's been a day from hell" he said.

"Yep, I am getting ready to head out" she answered

"I'll be a few more minutes…dinner?" he asked

With a nod, she moved forward, knowing they were alone, she pressed a kiss to his lips, "Damn straight if you know what is good for you" she replied smiling.

His hand rose to her face, cupping her cheek when his cell phone rang. Eric groaned, and Sookie walked out with a smile on her face.

"Eric Northman" she heard him say, as she walked back into her office, grabbing her things, she made her way out, shutting the door behind her.

She heard him mumbling as she left, his back to the door, so she continued to the elevators. It was when she was driving home that it occurred to her, she and Eric had had sex two times, without using any protection. "Oh Shit" she mumbled.

* * *

"Eric Northman" he answered his phone

"It's about damn time you answered the phone" Felicia replied

"I've left you two messages Felicia, Amelia said you had been calling he office, you know I'm not in California." Eric said

"I know that, I am in DC, we need to talk" she replied

"I don't think we have anything to discuss" Eric answered coldly

"We have quite a bit to discuss Eric, and you will meet me, or I will make sure your little blonde neighbor knows all about what kind of man you really are" she threatened.

"Don't threaten me Felicia, you won't be happy with the results" he growled into the phone.

"We will have dinner Eric, you and I and we will talk" she told him. "Meet me at the Mexican place around the corner from your office, at 7:30, don't be late" giving him the address she hung up, not wanting to hear his reply.

Eric resisted the urge to toss his phone across the room. Taking a deep breath, he pondered his situation. There was nothing for Felicia to blackmail him with, Sookie knew what kind of man he was before, everyone had a past. There was no reason for him to feel afraid of Felicia and because of that, he decided to not meet her.

He gathered his things and decided to go home. He needed to talk to Sookie and he couldn't do it from here at the office.

The drive home was easy, the gods seemed to be smiling on him as he hit no traffic jams. Calling Sookie on the way home, he told her he would be brining pizza home, that he wanted to talk to her about something that had come up during the day.

Stopping to pick up the pizza Eric looked at the time, it was almost 7. With some luck he would be able to talk to Sookie before Felicia realized he wasn't going to show.

Grabbing the pizza he left everything else in the car, locking it up and closing the garage, he went straight to Sookie's apartment. Calling out as he opened the unlocked door

"Hello"

"In the kitchen, come on back" Sookie answered, she had just finished brewing ice tea.

Walking thru, Eric set the pizza down on the dining room table and kissed her.

"I'm gonna change" he said, as his eyes took in her nightgown.

Walking into the bedroom, he hung up his suit and pulled on his pajama pants. Running a hand through his hair, he hoped things would turn out well.

Returning to the kitchen area, he found Sookie sitting at the table, plates and drinks already on the table waiting for him. She had opened the pizza and placed a slice on each plate.

"What's up?" she asked, knowing something was bothering him

"I don't even know where to begin" Eric said with a sigh as he fell into his chair beside her

"I think at the beginning is the best spot" Sookie offered, a soft smile on her face

"I think you know I had a past" Eric said looking at her, he saw her stiffen at the table, at her nod he continued "Today, I got a call from someone who threatened me"

"How?"

"Sookie, I need you to know, I know this is early too, but I want to be with you, I don't mean for a night, I mean I want to be with you, I enjoy seeing you sleep, and watching you get ready in the morning, I want to be around you and with you, in a relationship and I need you to know that" he told her

"OK" Sookie said, unsure of where he was leading things

"Felicia was a woman I was seeing before….in California….she wasn't a girlfriend….before you, I just didn't do relationships….we had…..an understanding of sorts" he said "And before I flew to DC…..I ended things….I just didn't think I wanted to continue long distance…..and I just didn't see myself happy with her….she took it well…..I thought….but today, she called me and tried to blackmail me into having dinner with her. She said if I didn't meet her she would make sure you knew what kind of man I was" Eric told her, unable to meet her eyes "I won't defend myself, but I am not sure what she wants to discuss and I don't know how she is here"

Sookie smiled and took his hand in hers "It doesn't matter, as long as you don't want her, I don't care what she wants. And she can tell me whatever she wants to. I trust you to be honest with me and I will trust you until you give me a reason not to. I don't know how we are going to make this work, but as long as we want to, we will find a way" she said bringing his hand to her face, she rubbed her cheek on it "As long as you want me, we will find a way to make things work for us"

Eric smiled at her as his cell phone rang. He knew who it was. Sookie reached over and pulled the battery out of his cell phone and handed it back to him "I don't care" she said looking at him.

Taking a bit of her pizza, Sookie looked at him with her eyebrow arched. Smiling Eric lifted the slice to his mouth and took a bite.

"So I reviewed the deal from yesterday" Sookie said "It's a no bid, I reviewed it, way too much risk involved in it"

"That is what I thought, but I wasn't sure, I wanted to make sure there were no other partnering agreements I didn't know about"

"Nope, if you want, I can attend those meetings with you, like I do for Victor, and brief you after, you can vote via email if you want, but that way you don't have to attend the actual meetings, as we roll into the season, they will start to take over your calendar"

"I might do that, for right now, I think I want to attend, it helps me learn names and faces"

"Good point" she said with a smile "I don't want you to lose touch with folks and seem unapproachable but I want to guard your calendar time, which also reminds me, we need to lock it down, we don't need everyone seeing what you are doing all the time, I'll take care of it tomorrow"

They talked as they finished their dinner and cuddled on the couch for a while before climbing into bed, falling asleep in each other's arms.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

They talked as they finished their dinner and cuddled on the couch for a while before climbing into bed, falling asleep in each others arms.

Sookie woke before the alarm clock the next morning. Smiling she slid out of bed and walked to the kitchen, pouring coffee for her and Eric.

Walking back to the bedroom, she switched the alarm clock off, and set both mugs on her bedside table. Snuggling up to Eric, she kissed his neck, smiling as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close.

"Good Morning" he whispered without opening his eyes

"I have coffee" she smiled

"You're an angel you know that right?" he said still not opening his eyes

"Is that why you won't look at me?" she laughed

"No, I don't want to start the day, so I refuse to open my eyes"

"I see, well I turned the alarm clock off, we can doze of get up, which would you prefer? I woke up ahead of time"

"How much ahead of time?" he asked, opening an eye to look at her

"Like 30 minutes ahead of time" she replied, watching as Eric got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. Taking a sip of her coffee, she turned on the TV and pulled the covers back over her, flipping until she found the weather channel.

Eric walked back to the bed, taking the offered cup out of her hand, he set it on table beside him and turned back to Sookie. Picking up the remote, he turned the TV off, while arching an eyebrow at her

"I think, Miss Stackhouse, that you have something else you could be doing besides watching TV" he said, kissing the side of her neck, taking her coffee from her and setting it beside her.

"Really?" she asked, wrapping her free arm around his neck.

"Most definitely" he replied with his lips pressed to hers

Pulling her nightgown up with his hands, he broke their kiss long enough to slide it over her head. Immediately kissing his way down her body, he wrapped his tongue around both of her nipples and continued his path downward, growling as he threw her legs over his shoulders.

"Eric!" she exclaimed at his movement only to moan loudly as his tongue moved up her slit.

Finding her nub he began tracing circles around it, while Sookie's fingers flew to his hair. Trying to be still she started pulling his hair, her hips moving on their own. Eric pressed a hand to her tummy, holding her still while he continued his movements, sliding two fingers of his free hand into her drenched core, he began curling them when he felt her walls start their familiar spasms.

"Oh God….its so good" she cried out, opening her legs more "Don't stop….Eric…oh my god….your tongue….its…..oh god….I'm….I'm….YES….I'M CUMMING" she cried out, her legs stiff as her walls clenched around him, his fingers moving inside her, drawing out her pleasure

Eric smiled as he kissed her thigh, watching her head move from side to side, the sweat covering her body. 'She is so beautiful when she lets go' he thought to himself, his fingers moving in and out of her as her hips slowed their rolling.

Sookie tried to take a deep breath, her orgasm had happened so quickly this time. His tongue had been so soft and hard at the same time, she was totally unprepared for the intensity of the feelings.

Eric reached for the condom he had set on the bedside table, rolling it on, he wasted no time pushing himself inside of Sookie, her heat scorching him. Together they started moving, hips meeting and pulling apart in a frenzy, sharing in their combined goal.

Eric pressed open mouthed kisses to Sookie's throat, groaning as he felt her moving under him, her hands pulling at him. "Oh Sookie" he mumbled, moving up her throat slowly. "So tight for me baby" he said thrusting into her, his hands running down her back to grip her ass, pulling her up to him.

"Eric…you feel so big…you fill me up" she moaned, her hands pulling at him, opening her legs more as she felt him pulling her from her ass, lifting her higher, he wasn't slowing down.

"Cum on my Sookie, give it to me, baby. I wanna feel it on me" he said, his breathing jagged in her ear.

"Harder" she said, her hands gripping his ass, her nails digging into his skin as she pushed him in to her.

"Fuck" he mumbled, slowing his speed but increasing his force, he gave her what she wanted.

Sookie felt him hit the top of her cervix and she moaned, her head falling back "GOD YES ERIC" she cried, her nails digging into him, she lifted her knees giving him the angle as he pounded into her.

Eric felt her clenching around him, knowing she was almost to the edge, he had been holding himself back, but watching her cling to him, feeling her adjust herself under him was almost to much for him. Pressing his lips to the swell of one of her breasts, he suckled, marking her lightly as his.

Feeling her tense and release, he smiled, feeling her walls coat themselves with her juices, he let himself go, roaring as he did so "SOOKIE"

* * *

They agreed to take separate cars to work, in case Sookie had to stay late for the speech.

Eric was sitting in his office when he decided to put his phone back together. Knowing Felicia would have left at least one message. He waited for it to cycle thru start up and went to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee.

Returning to his office, he looked at his phone and with a sigh, logged into his voicemail. He had 3 messages, his first was Pam. Writing down a reminder to call her on a post-it note.

The second and third were Felicia. "Eric, you're late, call me" was the first, the second wasn't much more "Eric, I see you've decided to not show, I'll assume something came up, call me and we will reschedule, we need to talk"

With a sigh, Eric called her back, thankful he had shut his door. Leaving a voicemail when she didn't answer, he left a message "Felicia, its Eric, I'm calling you back"

Closing his phone quietly, he stared at the wall for a moment. Wondering what Felicia's game was. Picking up his desk phone, he called Amelia

"Hey Boss man, how's it goin? I've got another moving company coming out to give an estimate on moving ya" she told him

"Good, listen, I hate to do this to you, but if Felicia calls you again, I need you to notify security. She tried to blackmail me last night." Eric then started telling Amelia about the past few days, Sookie, Victor and Felicia. "I need you to know what is going on Amelia, I am sorry to involve you this way"

"Think nothing of it Eric, I like you and Sookie both, and I'm glad you are finally taking a chance, she seems to be a sweet girl. I'll handle Felicia if it comes up, but if she is in DC, I doubt I'll hear from her. I'll call your cell if I do"

Going over a few more details, Eric got off the phone with her and went thru a few more emails.

* * *

Sookie and Lafayette were rehearsing the speech and making changes as they went thru. Her timing was off, causing her speech to appear awkward.

"Sook, girl, you're going to have to rehearse this. I think we have this final, but your timing is just off" Lafayette told her "We have to think about what you are going to well also"

It was Wednesday. Sookie was giving Victor's speech on Friday before both the House and Senate.

"What do you want me to wear?" she asked, rubbing her forehead with her hand "So many things to think about"

Lafayette looked at her, sighing "You'll do fine Sooks, we will get thru this, I am going down there with you, I promise to bring one of the trashcans with me"

"Do you want to come over and go through my closet tonight?" she offered "I want to look perfect for this, it means a lot to Victor" she said

"I will, want me to bring dinner?" he offered

"Oh that would be wonderful, let me call Eric and see what he is doing? We've been together since Sunday" she admitted blushing.

Opening her phone before Lafayette could comment, she dialed Eric's number.

"Hello lover" he purred answering his phone

"Hi" she said huskily "Lafayette is coming over tonight to go through my closet, and is bringing dinner, did you want to join us?"

"Absolutely, what time are you leaving?" he asked smiling into his phone

"I'm not sure yet, let me talk to him and I'll text it to you. We have to work on my timing. We've got the speech final, but I'm to awkward with it right now, did I mention I hate public speaking?" she asked

"I remember the trash cans from Victor's announcement" Eric answered grinning "Let me know when you're done and I'll meet you at home"

"Got it" Sookie said "I'll talk to you later" and she closed her phone

"So…Sookie…what's going on between you and the bossman?" Lafayette asked grinning at her, already knowing the answer.

"Let's go over this timing again" Sookie said ignoring his question

* * *

Eric was on the way to a meeting when his phone rang, he'd already talked to Sookie about dinner, so he suspected he knew who the caller was even when he didn't recognize the number on his caller id.

"Eric Northman" he answered

"I don't think it's polite to stand folks up" Felicia answered

"Something came up Felicia, and you never said what it was you wanted" Eric replied smoothly

"I want to talk to you, face to face" she replied

"I don't see why that is necessary" he answered

"It's necessary because we need to talk, I'm calling the shots here Eric, especially if you don't want your latest little fling to know what kind of man you really are" Felicia retorted

"My girlfriend is well aware of the fact that I have a past Felicia, save your threats, I'm not meeting you anywhere, your trip to see me was a waste"

"I'm sure the press will love to hear about you have denied the existence of your child"

"I have no child Felicia, you know this" Eric growled

"Not true lover boy, I'm pregnant, you have a child"


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"It's not possible Felicia, you were on the pill and I always, ALWAYS made sure we had protection" Eric replied angrily. It was then that he realized, he'd been with Sookie two times without using protection.

"It is possible and it's happened" Felicia stated

"We'll have to wait and see how things go Felicia, you understand I'll want proof"

"I will be happy to provide you with all the proof you need Eric" she said smartly "Now, about the wedding-"

"There will be no wedding, if you are pregnant and it is mine, I will provide for my child, but we will not be getting married. You will live in California, or where ever you choose and I will pay child support, and we will work out a custody arrangement giving me access to the child, unless you want to give me the child"

"I want to get married"

"Not going to happen, I'll call my lawyer this afternoon and he will be in touch with you in the next few days" Eric replied closing his phone.

He called his lawyer and left a message with the secretary that it was urgent. Returning to his office, he cleared his calendar for the day and left. Driving home, his lawyer called him back.

"Eric, good to hear from you, I got a message that it was urgent I speak to you?" Damon said.

"I think there is a mess brewing. I was seeing someone and she is claiming she is pregnant and that its mine. While not impossible, I think it highly unlikely, and she is demanding marriage. Can anything be done?"

"Much can be done" Damon answered him

"Good, I want to keep this out of the press if at all possible. Maybe we could meet for lunch in the next few days?"

"That would be best. Let me have someone contact about lunch, you give me this woman's name and number and I'll start the contact with her"

Eric provided the information to him and was walking in the door to his apartment as he got off the phone. With a sigh, he looked around.

Stepping into his closet, he hung his suit and stepped into his shower, hoping to wash away the drama of the day.

* * *

Sookie left Lafayette at the office with the plan to catch up at 5:30 at her apartment, he was bringing Chinese food.

She noticed Eric's garage was still open, and with a smile, she walked towards his apartment and knocked on the door before walking in. She found him in the kitchen unloading his dishwasher.

Walking up behind him she smiled and wrapped her arms around him waist. Eric stopped and placed his hands on hers, holding her closer.

"How is the speech coming along?" he asked

"I am getting the timing down, but it still sounds a bit off. Lafayette will be downstairs by 5:30 with dinner, he's bringing Chinese" she said, pausing as he turned in her arms to face her "We are going to raid my closet to decide what I will wear and then we'll rehearse the speech again"

"Good, I am sure you will do fine" Eric said smiling. He decided right then he would wait until Friday afternoon to tell Sookie of the latest developments, he didn't want her stressing until after this speech.

"I made an appointment for next week with my doctor" she said smiling at him, "I realized, we had sex two times without and form of birth control. We need to be careful" she said her smile turning wider.

"I'm sorry Sookie, I realized that today, I didn't intentionally do that, I am clean" Eric said, holding her close.

"I know you didn't, its just as much my fault as it is yours, but I'll get it taken care of next week and we'll be fine" she sighed "I just want to make sure we are careful moving forward"

"I'm going to bring some stuff down in a few minutes, why don't you head down and get comfortable?" Eric suggested, smiling at her, wanting to change the subject.

"That is a good idea" she said "I don't want to sleep without you beside me"

"Good, Miss Stackhouse, I don't want to be anywhere but right next to you anyway" he smiled at her, holding her hands in his. Pressing his lips to hers, he released her, turning her around with a gentle shove at the door "Go before I can't keep my hands to myself"

Walking out, Sookie made her way down stairs for her apartment, noticing it was 5 p.m., she quickly took off her clothes and jumped into the shower. She was wrapped in a towel when she heard Eric walk through the door "Sookie" he called out.

"In here" she called from the bedroom.

Eric walked towards the sound of her voice, finding her in the bedroom wrapped in a towel. Just as he wrapped his arms around her, they both heard Lafayette walk in.

"Hey ya'll, I got the food" he hollered, walking past the bedroom to the kitchen.

Sookie giggled as Eric groaned in frustration, walking out of the bedroom towards the kitchen to help Lafayette.

Sookie pulled on a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt. Walking into the kitchen she moaned at the smell of the food.

"I'm starving" she said grabbing the plates to set on the table as Lafayette grabbed the silverware and Eric got drinks.

They made small talk at dinner, discussing the office, the speech and the latest scandal in the city.

Eric tried to engage in the conversation but he was staring off into space. Trapped in his own mind trying to figure out how he was going to tell Sookie and no matter how he worked it in his head, he always found her leaving him.

Sookie and Lafayette knew Eric was out of it. So when they finished dinner, Sookie pulled Lafayette into her room and left Eric at the table to clear the dishes.

Walking into her closet, they started flipping thru clothes. When Lafayette found Eric's suits on the side of the closet, hanging, he commented.

"Well…if that isn't cozy. When are you gonna tell me about it?" Lafayette asked looking at Sookie

"Um…I hadn't planned on saying anything." Sookie commented, her eyes sparkling, her cheeks turning pink.

"Uh-huh, well is he as good as he looks?" Lafayette whispered in her ear

Sookie laughed "Better" she whispered back, turning to grab a blue skirt suit of hers and holding it up "How's this?"

"Ohhh Sookie Sookie" Lafayette smirked, "tappin the bossman" he laughed as Sookie's eyes widened "I like the color, but the cut is to frilly, do you have anything plainer? Like a straight jacket and a straight skirt?"

Finding the requested items, Sookie tried them on, and turned to look at Lafayette waiting for his approval.

Lafayette nodded "I like it" he sighed "Wanna run through the speech in the suit?"

"Yeah let me find shoes and I'll meet you in the living room" Sookie said.

Lafayette nodded and walked out, Eric was still sitting at the table.

"You look like someone at your pudding" Lafayette told him

Eric sighed "There is a problem, and I need to tell Sookie, but I'm not doing it til after the speech, I don't want her distracted"

"Eric, I know you the bossman and all but I'm serious, you fuck her over, I will make sure it bites you in the ass. She is happier than I have ever seen her. Don't screw this up"

Sookie walked into the room then, dressed in her suit and shoes smiling nervously "I hate public speaking" she said to them both.

"Its not public its Eric and me" Lafayette smiled at her

"Uh-huh, you tell that to my nerves" Sookie sighed nervously. Standing straight she began the speech from memory.

When she was done, both men clapped and smiled at her. Lafayette started clearing the dishes and loading the dishwasher. He was finished in no time and after saying his goodnights was out the door.

Eric wrapped an arm around Sookie and pulled her close, "I am very proud of you, you are going to be great" he said "Your timing is much better and the speech is good"

"I'm so nervous" she said, resting her head against his shoulder. "Let me go change, and we can sit and watch some TV" she said walking away.

Eric let her go and turned away, running a hand through his hair. He was fighting himself, he wanted to tell her. He heard his phone ring then, taking a glance at it, he saw it was Pam.

"Pam" he answered

"Lunch tomorrow?" she said immediately

"Ok, you wanna come out to me?" he asked "I have meetings in the morning and afternoon"

"Yes, but clear them, we need to talk, I have some very disturbing information on some things"

"Shit, not more" Eric said, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

"Yep" she told him "I'll pick you up at your office tomorrow at 11, I'll call you when I get there"

"Fine, I'll see you then" he said closing his phone.

"See who when?" Sookie asked smiling as she walked into the living room and sat on the couch.

"I am meeting Pam for lunch tomorrow" Eric told her "I am going to have to move my meetings in the afternoon, do you think Cheryl can handle that?"

"Yep, but if she can't I can help, no worries. Is everything alright?"

"I don't know, I'll know after I talk to her"

He smiled at her and sat down on the couch next to her, pulling her close and laying back. "What do you want to watch?" he asked

"I don't usually watch this much TV. What about you?" Sookie giggled at him.

"Lets flip and see what we can find" Eric replied.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"I don't usually watch this much TV. What about you?" Sookie giggled at him.

"Lets flip and see what we can find" Eric replied.

"Is everything ok? You seemed off tonight"

"I just want to enjoy my time with my girl right now" Eric said, dodging the question and pulling Sookie close.

"Uh-huh, you're dodging" Sookie said laughing at him "I'll let you get away with it for now, but Eric, I don't like secrets, they scare me. I don't want you afraid to tell me anything" her blue eyes staring at him intently "If you're afraid of me then we aren't on the same page and I don't want that to happen"

"Let me get thru a couple of days and get to the bottom of a few things and I promise, I will tell you everything Sookie. I just want to make sure of what I am telling you before I do, please?"

Sookie answered him with a kiss. A kiss which Eric returned, his arms wrapping around her tightly as he pulled her close, it was then that Sookie's cell phone rang. They both groaned as she walked into her bedroom to grab it.

"Sookie Stackhouse" she said, Eric walked in behind her a moment later, having turned off the TV and the lights in the living room.

"Sookie, its Sandy, Victor is awake"

"He's awake?" Sookie whispered, she turned to Eric "Victor is awake" she told him.

"Sandy do you need me to come to the hospital?" Sookie asked

"No, tomorrow is fine. I just wanted to let you know, he is awake, he told me to tell you Hello" Sandy said laughing into the phone.

"That's wonderful, Eric and I will come by tomorrow during the day and visit with you both"

They chatted a few more minutes and got off the phone. Sookie happily curled up with Eric, smiling as he held her close, her head in the middle of his chest. She was quickly falling asleep, the sound of his heart lulling her.

"I'm so happy he woke up" she said quietly, her eyes barely open.

"Me too, lover, me too. I know how much you care for him" Eric answered, pressing his lips to the top of her head. His hand running up and down her arm.

Sookie smiled, feeling him kiss her head, with a sigh she whispered "I love you"

Eric smiled at her words "I love you my Sookie" he whispered back, his mind flying a mile a minute. _'I have to tell her, if I don't I'll lose her'_ he thought to himself. _'But I need to wait, she needs to get thru this speech. She stresses enough with these things, there is no reason to not wait til after. I will just tell her Friday night and explain why I waited, she will understand'_ his hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose. _'I can't wait, to wait means I am not trusting her or our relationship. I'm in a relationship, a fucking relationship, I am going to screw this up. I don't know how to manage these things. I don't do relationships, that way nobody gets hurt'_

Sookie moved on top of him, snuggling into his side more.

'_I'm not going to give this up without a fight. I want this woman in my life, and if that means a relationship, then that is what I will give her'_ sighing quietly, Eric tried to find some peace to sleep.

Sookie woke before the alarm clock, smiling, she reached over and turned it off. She was laying on her side, Eric was curled up behind her, his arm wrapped around her stomach, pulling her close, his head tucked into her neck. She was pulling away, when she felt his arm hold her tightly to him, a smile on his face when he spoke "Oh no you don't."

"I want coffee" she giggled at him

"I want you" he said, pressing a kiss to her shoulder

"I need the bathroom" she insisted, groaning

"What kind of answer is that?" he stated, releasing her after pressing another kiss to her shoulder.

Sookie got into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Eric tossed the covers aside when he heard the door shut and walked into the kitchen to turn on the coffee maker, only to find it had already brewed. Someone must have set up the timer. Pouring two cups and prepping them for him and Sookie, he walked back to the bedroom.

Sookie was just walking out when he handed her a steaming mug. Taking a sip, she moaned as she felt it go down "Coffee is good" she mumbled "Should we go in early so we can leave early to see Victor?" she asked, leaning into him.

"Probably, but I can't go until after I get done with Pam, I am having lunch with her" he replied.

"How about I go today and we both go tomorrow? I can just meet you back here tonight, why don't you take the spare key?" she offered.

"I didn't know you had one" he answered

Sookie nodded and walked out to her kitchen, grabbing the spare key from the mug cupboard she handed it to him.

"Here"

"You sure Sookie? I don't want to rush you" he said

"Positive, you here all the time anyway, this just makes it easier" she replied, pressing her lips to his.

"Good" he replied when she pulled away, a smile on his face "Lets shower"

Sookie giggled and went to start the hot water. While they played in the shower, they didn't christen it, Eric's cell phone interrupted them. Pam was calling to make sure he was still good for lunch.

By the time Eric got her off the phone, Sookie was getting dressed for work. Sighing in frustration, he watched her pull a skirt and blouse on. Wanting nothing more than to undress her, he managed to resist the urge and pull on his suit.

They were walking out the door at the same time, smiling as the walked towards their garages.

"See you at work, bossman" Sookie giggled, kissing him before walking into her garage.

Eric smiled at her mood the whole drive to work, following closely behind her.

Arriving at the office, they went up the elevator together and into the separate offices.

Eric's day started with a conference call at 7:30 about an HR issue.

* * *

Sookie's day started with canceling Eric's afternoon. Rescheduling his internal meetings was easy. The one client visit at 3, she left for Cheryl to handle. It was almost 8:30 by the time she was done with his calendar, heading down to Lafayette's floor, she stopped by Cheryl's desk to make sure she was ok with the reschedule.

Reaching Lafayette, she told him of the call from Sandy and they began to rehearse the speech.

Not even stopping for lunch, they made it til 2:30 before stopping. Going back to her desk, she packed up and headed for the hospital to see Victor. It was well after 8 p.m. before she left.

Arriving at home at 8:30, she found Eric asleep in bed already. Changing for bed quietly, she fed Bella and set the timer on the coffeemaker before crawling in next to him.

His arms were around her as she pulled the covers over her.

"Did you have a good visit?" he asked, without opening his eyes

"I did, he is much better; I told him we would be by tomorrow, after the speech"

"Good, I didn't call but I was worried" he whispered, pressing a kiss to her neck "It was a crazy day, I'm exhausted"

"Go to sleep" she answered smiling, and rubbing the arm he had wrapped around her.

* * *

Friday morning Eric woke before Sookie. It was almost 4:30 a.m. when his eyes popped open. Silently he made his way to the coffee maker and poured himself some. He sat down at the table and contemplated his lunch discussion with Pam.

He knew he had to talk to Sookie and he knew he needed to do it sooner rather than later, but he also wanted to let her get through her speech without making it harder on her than it needed to be.

He'd left his lunch with Pam at 3:30 and gone home. He grabbed a few more things from him apartment and took them to Sookie's hoping that she wouldn't be tossing him out over the weekend. He'd waited up for her for a while and finally gone to bed, mentally exhausted by the day's events.

Walking into the bedroom, he stood in the doorway watching her sleep. He knew he wanted to be with her. He knew he loved her and it terrified him. Torn between wanting to protect her and wanting to be honest.

He shook his head and went into the bathroom, turning on the shower, he paused, waiting for the hot water before he climbed in. Facing the water spray, he started washing his hair when he felt a pair of hands on his sides moving forward. He moaned as they wrapped around him, stroking him. He quickly rinsed his hair, moaning as the pace quickened.

"Cum for me" Sookie commanded, standing behind him, one hand wrapping around his tip while the other grasped his sac, squeezing gently. Her hand stroked him downward and Eric let his head fall back, moaning, his hands reaching behind him to grasp her close to him. He felt her soft breasts pressing into his back, her nipples stiff peaks.

"Sookie" he said

"Cum for me Eric, give it to me" she demanded.

* * *

**AN: Short chapter, but next chapter will reveal what Pam told Eric, and the speech.**


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: I know I promised to give you Eric's discussion with Pam, but I decided to re-write the chapter. It will come back I promise, just not yet hee hee hee hee**

**I've been trying to answer all reviews and I am falling behind so please don't think I am ignoring you, I'm not and I love everything you all have to say, thank you so much for taking the time to give me a review - my life is still somewhat in flux because of the gas leak. While the gas company has promised no more midnight evacuations, they are still not against evacuating us in the middle of the day**

* * *

Chapter 20

He shook his head and went into the bathroom, turning on the shower, he paused, waiting for the hot water before he climbed in. Facing the water spray, he started washing his hair when he felt a pair of hands on his sides moving forward. He moaned as they wrapped around him, stroking him. He quickly rinsed his hair, moaning as the pace quickened.

"Cum for me" Sookie commanded, standing behind him, one hand wrapping around his tip while the other grasped his sac, squeezing gently. Her hand stroked him downward and Eric let his head fall back, moaning, his hands reaching behind him to grasp her close to him. He felt her soft breasts pressing into his back, her nipples stiff peaks.

"Sookie" he said

"Cum for me Eric, give it to me" she demanded

Eric felt his muscles tighten, he felt her hand stroking him, her other hand squeezing him and he let go with a growl. His seed hitting the wall of the shower as Sookie continued to work him, his hips thrusting into her hand.

"My Sookie" he whispered hoarsely

Twisting in her arms, he pushed her against the wall, his hands squeezing her already taught peaks. Sookie sighed, her eyes closing from the pleasure.

"Eric" she said, as he lowered his head to take on in his mouth. His tongue licking first one then the other as he moved back and forth between her breasts. Kissing his way down her body, he wasted no time finding her core. Sliding a finger in as he fell to his knees.

"I want you to scream" he told her before his tongue wrapped around her nerve center.

Sookie cried out from the pleasure, her body warming almost instantly, the hair on her arms standing up.

Eric worked her for a few moments, his hand pumping in and out while he moved one of her legs over his shoulder, his tongue working small circles around her clit.

"Eric" she moaned

Eric moaned back, flattening his tongue, her licked her, moving his tongue sideways as he thrust a second finger into her.

"So close" she moaned, her knee getting weak, she felt Eric smirk against her as he continued his assault.

Eric felt her walls tighten, her already slick core getting wetter, signaling her release, he increased the speed of his tongue, and then started sucking and licking, sending her over the edge.

Sookie granted Eric's wish, as she screamed, the pressure of his mouth sucking her clit proving to be almost too much for her as he held her up, her leg no longer able to hold her weight.

"GOD YES" she cried as he continued to work her. He didn't stop, he kept sucking on her, sending her into a second orgasm before her first seemed to stop.

"ERIC" she cried shrilly, her mind almost as numb as her body. "STOP" she laughed, her hips pumping against his face.

Eric kissed the inside of her thigh, as he smiled up to her "But next time, I'm not stopping, I want to know how far you can go little Sookie" he said rising, carefully holding her against him. "Can you stand?" he asked

"I think so" she whispered after a moment.

Setting her down, Eric pressed his lips to hers as she giggled against him. "Wow" she whispered.

"We have to get you ready, it's a big day" he smiled back at her, pulling her hair under the water.

* * *

They managed arrived at the office and after meeting up with Lafayette they climbed into a limo and headed into DC.

Sookie started shaking in the seat next to Eric, while Lafayette looked at both of them.

"Sookie?" Eric said

Sookie just shook her head, and continued reciting the speech. It was Lafayette who spoke

"Its normal" he said, indicating to Sookie

"Shaking like a leaf is normal?"

"Yep, she'll be sick twice before she speaks, I have mints, I'm ready, you make sure to grab the trash cans"

Eric just shook his head, smiling at both of them.

As they arrived at their destination, Sookie swallowed deeply, her face getting pale all of a sudden.

Lafayette shoved the first trash can at her, and Sookie emptied the contents of her stomach into it.

"I thought I needed to give it to her?" Eric asked

"You were busy holding her hair, and you don't know the signs" Lafayette answered him calmly.

Eric stepped out of the limo first and reached back helping Sookie from the car with Lafayette following close behind. Cameras were snapping everywhere, several in Sookie's face.

She clung to Eric and Lafayette as they walked into the building. Staring straight ahead, Sookie saw the doors leading into the room where she would make her speech. She groaned as it opened in front of her.

Eric had grabbed a trash can as they were walking thru security and shoved it in front of her as Sookie let go one last time. Without stopping their pace, Lafayette shoved a mint in her mouth and said "Stop it now, we are here, pull it together"

Eric saw Sookie take a deep breath and felt her release his arm and Lafayette's. Her shoulders squared and she walked through the doors and took her place at a long table, waiting for her turn to speak.

They only waited 15 minutes. Sookie heard Victor's name called and she walked to the podium and began his speech. She made no mistakes and spoke clearly, her voice filled with conviction. She took the full 20 minutes she was allotted and when she was done, she walked away and out the doors.

Eric and Lafayette smiled at each other and joined her in the hallway where she stood, her eyes closed.

"I need a restroom" she whispered

It was Lafayette who pointed in the direction of the rest rooms. With a nod, Sookie walked through the doors.

She saw another woman standing in front of the mirrors, fussing with her hair. Paying her no attention, Sookie moved to one of the stalls and took care of her business.

Walking out she noticed the brunette was still in front of the mirror.

"I loved your speech" the woman told her

"Oh thank you" Sookie said "It was for my executive, Victor Madden, he was in a car accident and was unable to be here"

She turned on the water to wash her hands.

"My name is Felicia, I think we have someone in common" she told Sookie

Sookie looked at her in the mirror, smiling, she replied "Who? I'm sorry to say I don't remember meeting you before"

"We've not met yet" Felicia told her "My name is Felicia, I'm Eric Northman's fiancée" she told Sookie.

"Fiancée?" Sookie asked, blinking quickly in the mirror

"Yes, we are expecting our first child this winter, I'm so excited" Felicia said, rubbing her stomach. "I'm sure we'll see each other again" Felicia said, walking towards the door.

Stepping out she saw Eric standing a few feet away, his eyes reflecting his shock. Felicia smiled at him, and waved as she walked away.

"Shit" Eric whispered under his breath, causing Lafayette to look at him and then at Felicia.

It was Sookie who walked out next, her face white, her hands shaking. Lafayette walked over to her, shocked.

"Sookie?" he asked

Her eyes met Eric's and they filled with tears. Eric knew then what Felicia had done.

"Sookie, we need to talk first" he said walking towards her.

"Oh" she said, before she fainted in the doorway. Lafayette caught her as her knees gave out. Swinging her into his arms, he made his way out the doors and to the waiting limo, Eric following closely behind them.

Once they were in the limo, Sookie was set against a seat, her feet in Lafayette's lap, Eric sitting across from them, Lafayette spoke.

"You didn't tell her yet did you?"

"No, I wanted her to get through the speech" Eric said quietly

"Who was that woman?"

"Someone who claims I got her pregnant" Eric whispered, running his hand through his hair.

"Did you?" Lafayette demanded

"I don't think so, she wants me to marry her, my lawyer has been notified. She threatened to announce this pregnancy if I didn't marry her"

"And when were you going to tell me? I have to do damage control you know"

"After I told Sookie, she needed to be the first to know" Eric stated "I delayed telling her because I knew it would upset her and I didn't want any of this interfering with the speech" Eric sighed then

"So we need to know what that woman told Sookie" Lafayette said, rubbing Sookie's feet.

Eric moved to the floor of the limo then, he was kneeling on the floor and rubbing Sookie's face.

"Sookie angel, please wake up, I need to talk to you" he said gently, he was rubbing her cheeks, "Baby please" he whispered, desperate to hear her voice, he wanted to apologize.

Sookie started moaning, one of her hands raising to her head. Her eyes remained closed as she spoke "My head is pounding"

"Just take some deep breaths" Lafayette said softly

Sookie was rubbing her head, when she started to cry, the words of the woman echoing in her head.

Eric took her free hand in his "Sookie, please let me explain" he begged

"You're marrying her, you're marrying her and you didn't tell me, how could you Eric? After this week, I trusted you" she sobbed, tears falling feely down her face

"No Sookie, I'm not" Eric insisted "I'm not marrying her"

"But she's pregnant" Sookie insisted

"She claims she is pregnant, my lawyer is working on this case, if she is and IF it is mine, I will provide and be a part of the child's life, but there is no marriage to Felicia" Eric insisted, squeezing her hand in his "I found out the other day"

"This is what you were hiding from me? This? The fact that this woman is pregnant with your child? And you felt hiding it from me was the right thing to do?" She cried "How could you? After everything? After this morning?"

"Sookie, please you have to listen to me"

"No, I'm not listening to anything from you, you lied to me, you've been lying to me, and you thought it was the right thing to do! I gave you everything Eric, I let you in my home, my heart, I gave you…I gave you the only thing I had left, the only thing I'd never be able to share with someone else" she cried at him

"Sookie, please, I love you, we have to discuss this. Its not what you think" Eric insisted.

They had arrived at the office moments before, Sookie struggled out of the limo and ran into the building. Eric tried to catch her but there were clients in the lobby that demanded his attention.

Lafayette shook his head watching the couple. He saw Sookie run for the stairs and assumed she was running for her car, he also saw Eric get stopped by clients. Making his way inside, he interrupted the impromptu meeting, pushing Eric towards the stairs saying "I think that meeting you're late for is that way", he turned back to the clients and led them to the demo center so Eric could go after Sookie.

Sookie made it to her car and was leaving the garage when Eric exited the stairs. Walking towards his car, he started it and left the building, intent on finding her and working this out.

Sookie sobbed as she drove, opening her cell phone, she called the only person she knew wouldn't betray her.

"Gran, do you think you could pick me up at the airport this evening?" she said

"Sookie? Honey, what's wrong?" Gran asked her

"I just need to come home, I don't want to talk about it" Sookie cried

"Of course you can come home baby, always, I'll pick you up when you land, just let me know what time your flight gets in"

"Thank you Gran, I'll call you back in a few minutes" Sookie said hanging up her phone.

Sookie quickly made her decision and drove straight to Dulles Airport. Leaving her car in the long term parking lot, she took a bus to the terminal and bought a ticket for Louisiana. Thankful for the nest egg she had built for herself, she charged her ticket and upgraded using her miles to first class. Calling her Gran, Sookie told her that the flight would be landing at 6:15 p.m. Making her way to the gate, Sookie waited another 10 minutes for boarding.

Her cell phone was vibrating in her pocket. A quick glance told her it was Eric. He'd sent her a text message "Please call me, or answer your phone". Switching her phone off, Sookie stepped forward to board her plane.

It wasn't till she was in her seat and the plane door closed that she realized she'd been holding her breath. Shaking her head and looking out the window, she tried to calm her mind, unsuccessfully.

'_How could he do this to me? I loved him, I still love him, I can't believe he lied to me like this. I'm an idiot for believing him. He is probably going to marry her, and is lying to me about that too'_ she thought to herself _'I can't believe I was stupid enough to believe him, how could I let myself be taken that way? Men don't change, he was a womanizer before I met him, and he'll be a womanizer after'_

* * *

Eric was flying down the road, trying to catch Sookie. He was surprised when he made it home before she did. But when she didn't arrive he started to worry. After an hour, he went down to her apartment, afraid he'd missed her walking by. When she didn't answer, he used his key and walked in. She wasn't there, and it looked like nothing had been touched since they left that morning.

Bella was meowing and rubbing against his leg, asking for food. Walking to the kitchen, Eric opened a can of her soft food and dished it out for her, petting her head like he'd seen Sookie do so many other times as she'd set the food down for the cat.

Walking to the bedroom, he looked around, nothing had been disturbed there either. The sheets were still pulled down on the bed, the towels strewn over the floor.

Pulling out his phone, he tried calling her again. This time it went straight to voicemail. She'd turned off her phone.

Calling Lafayette, he told him that Sookie hadn't shown up and that he'd fed Bella.

"She's not there?" Lafayette asked

"No, she hasn't even shown up and left again, I'm worried" Eric said, running his hand through his hair again.

"Let me see what I can find out, stay at her place in case she shows up" Lafayette got off the phone with Eric and quickly called Sookie's cell phone. Leaving her a message, he sighed. He'd give her till tonight then he'd call her brother Jason.

* * *

Eric changed into a t-shirt and a pair of jeans he'd hung in Sookie's closet, afraid to leave her apartment for even a moment in case he missed her.

He heard his cell phone ring and rang to it, but sighed in frustration when he noticed it was Sandy not Sookie.

"Hi Sandy, how are you and Victor today?" he asked

"We're good, just wondering when you and Sookie are going to get here, Victor is wondering how the speech went"

"It went very well! Sookie was wonderful, as expected" Eric smiled "I'm not sure when we'll get by, I've gotten pulled into a client demo and I've not seen Sookie since we returned to the office, if I can't get there tonight, I will definitely be there tomorrow" He heard some rustling around and then Sandy's hushed voice

"Eric, Sookie has her phone off, what has happened? She never turns off her phone"

"There have been some issues" Eric admitted "Can I call you later tonight? I'm stuck with something right now"

"Absolutely, and I can meet you for coffee if you need" Sandy reassured him "After all you've done for us, I am happy to listen if you need an ear"

"Thank you" Eric said "I'll call you later this evening" he said closing his phone

Sitting on the couch, his elbows resting on his knees he stared at the front door, trying to will Sookie to walk through it. As time passed, his head fell into his hands.

Bella started winding herself around his ankles, meowing as she did so. Eric smiled at her "At least you don't hate me" he said, rubbing her ears. He was calmed by her purr. Bella jumped up on the couch next to him, propping herself against his leg as she rubbed her face on his knee, forcing Eric to move so that he could continue petting her.

It was well after the sun went down, Eric still sitting on the couch with Bella, when his phone rang.

It was Lafayette

"I know where she is and she isn't coming home for a while"

"Where is she? Is she safe? Can I go to her?" Eric asked

"She is safe, and no you can't go to her right now. She went home"

"I'm in her home, she isn't here" Eric said frustration evident in his tone

"No, I mean HOME, she is in Louisiana, she went to her Gran" Lafayette told him

"Oh" Eric said "When is she coming back?"

"I don't know" Lafayette told him "Can you feed Bella?"

"Yeah, I'll take care of things here" Eric told him

"Good, when I find out more, I'll call you" Lafayette said before hanging up

* * *

Sookie's plane landed on time. As she deplaned, she saw Jason and her Gran waiting for her at the gate.

Running to her Gran, she hugged her tightly.

Gran didn't ask any questions, and when she found out Sookie had no luggage, she nodded and grabbed her hand, leading her towards Jason's truck.

"I had Jason drive me, I don't like driving long distances close to dark" she told Sookie, leaning close she whispered "I won't ask in front of him, but we will talk later" she told Sookie.

Sookie nodded and remained quiet.

Jason started rambling about the changes that had happened in Bon Temps since Sookie had visited last, his job and his latest girlfriend. His chatter kept them busy and before they knew it, they were in Gran's gravel driveway.

Turning his truck off, he helped his Gran out of the truck and into the house before saying good night to them "I'm gonna go hook up with Hoyt" he informed them before running out the door.

Gran nodded, while Sookie looked around the house, feeling safe for the first time in hours.

"There clothes in your bedroom" Gran told her "Things you left from your last visit I think, they're clean"

"Thanks Gran" Sookie said quietly, climbing the stairs to her room. Sitting on the bed, she looked around. Seeing all of her childhood tokens laying around, she smiled for the first time that night.

Rising, she walked over to her closet, and hung her clothes as she took them off. Reaching for a t-shirt, she found an old jersey of Jason's she used to wear as a nightshirt and pulled it on.

Leaving her cell phone in her purse, and her purse in her room, she walked back down the stairs in her bare feet. She heard her Gran in the kitchen and she walked in the room, sitting at the small kitchen table that had always been there.

Gran didn't even turn around, when she spoke "Are you ready to talk about it?" she asked softly.

"Not yet" Sookie answered

"Alright" she replied. She'd been heating milk for hot chocolate, for her and Sookie. Reaching for the mugs, she poured in the milk, the chocolate already in the mugs. Setting the pot in the sink, she grabbed both mugs and walked towards the table, sitting in a chair across from Sookie. Sliding a mug in front of her she asked,

"Is it work?"

Sookie just shook her head, unable to meet her Gran's eyes.

"Ok, how is Victor?"

With a sigh, Sookie started filling her Gran in on the details of the accident, Victor's recovery and the speech this morning.

"I'm so proud of you Sookie, I know how much you hate public speaking, but you did good today" she told her

Sookie smiled "Thank you Gran, I wish you could have been there"

"Me too, but if they filmed it, maybe it will be on one of those government channels I have" Gran told her, "I got cable and I have a handful of channels that are all government stuff, we can look tomorrow and see what we can find" She told her patting her hand.

"Sookie, I'm not sure what has happened, child, but this is your home, you can be here as long as you want, but running doesn't help anything" Gran said looking her in the eye.

"I know Gran, but I need time to not deal with this, its…its…to big" Sookie said, her eyes filling with tears.

"God never gives us more than we can carry" Gran told her, reaching out to squeeze her hand "We can talk tomorrow, but you stay as long as you need"

Gran sat with her for a moment longer before getting up and walking towards her room. Sookie watched her for a moment, before getting up to set her mug in the sink, walking towards the stairs, she turned off the lights as she went. Stopping at the hallway bathroom, she washed her face and took care of her needs. Walking down the hall towards her bedroom, she closed the door behind her and crawled into bed. When her head hit the pillow, and she reached out for the now familiar warmth beside her, she realized what she was doing. Crying, she curled up into a ball and let go the emotions she had been holding in all day.

* * *

Eric tried to make himself leave her apartment. It would do no good for him to be there when she wasn't coming home, but as hard as he tried, he just couldn't do it. Instead, as he got tired, he walked into her room, changed his clothes again, pulling on his pajama pants this time, and crawled into the empty bed. Pulling her pillow close, he breathed in her scent, hoping it wasn't for the last time, as sleep claimed him for the night.

* * *

Jason called Lafayette after he left Gran's house.

"Yeah, I just dropped her off at Gran's she looks like shit and she's been crying, you want to tell me what is going on?"

"Not yet, just keep an eye on our girl and I'll talk to you tomorrow" Lafayette told him.

"I wanna know what has my sister so upset" Jason demanded

"I'll tell you tomorrow after I find out all the details Jason, until then I'm not exactly sure"

"Well what happened before she took off? Sookie arrived here with no luggage, she left at the last minute and that ain't like her"

"I know that, but until I find out what has happened, I can't exactly tell you now can I Jason?"

"Alright, but tomorrow, I want answers. If this is about a guy, I wanna know who, so I can kick his ass, she's a good girl, I don't need anyone up there fucking with her"

"I get it Jason, I'll call you tomorrow with some answers, until then, just give her some space and let her talk to your Gran. I am hoping Gran can get through that thick skull of hers" Lafayette told him before closing his phone.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Sookie woke up Saturday morning smelling bacon. She smiled as she stretched in bed, reaching out for Eric. Finding the cold spot where he should have been, her smiled faded as she recalled the events of the day before. Opening her eyes, she looked around her room, realizing where she was.

With a sigh, she pushed back the covers and made her way to the bathroom. When she finally got to the kitchen, she found Gran standing in front of the stove humming.

"Morning" Gran said to Sookie without turning around

"Morning" Sookie replied, grabbing a cup of coffee and pressing a kiss to her cheek. Pausing for a moment, she laid her head on Gran's shoulder.

Gran stood still for a moment, and patted the head resting on her shoulder. "I'm making bacon and eggs" she told Sookie "And we are going to chat"

Sookie nodded and sat down at the table. She was quiet as she watched Gran finish making breakfast. When her plate was in front of her, she looked at Gran, tears in her eyes.

"He lied to me" Sookie said as the tears started to stream down her face "This whole week, we've been together, it's been a lie. He is marrying another woman and she is pregnant with his baby"

Gran moved her chair to sit beside Sookie, taking the crying woman in her arms, she said "Sookie, you need to start from the beginning"

With a deep sigh, Sookie started, going all the way back to their first encounter in the office.

* * *

Bella woke Eric up. She was snuggled next to him, purring and licking his wrist.

Without opening his eyes, he started rubbing her ears and was gifted with a louder purr. "I know this is an effort to get fed, furball" he said without opening his eyes.

He heard the front door open and shot out of bed, to find Lafayette standing in the doorway.

"You look like shit" he told Eric

"I feel like shit" Eric replied, walking towards the kitchen to start the coffee

"So you want to tell me what all this mess is about?" Lafayette asked him, taking a seat at the table.

"Want some coffee?" Eric asked

"I think so" Lafayette replied, waiting patiently for the man to explain the drama of the day before.

It wasn't until the coffee had brewed and was poured into two cups that Eric sat down at the table with Lafayette.

"That woman was Felicia. She called me the other day claiming she was pregnant with my child and basically demanding I marry her to keep her from going to the press….." Eric started.

"And you told her what?" Lafayette asked

"I told her no and called my lawyer, that is what I've been dealing with the past few days, and then my sister dropped a bombshell on me yesterday" Eric explained "We had someone else, I'd never met accuse me of the same thing, and it was a relative of Sookie's. That relative was lying, but Pam told me yesterday that this woman's father, Sookie's uncle, was brought up on charges of child abuse. It also came out that he had abused Sookie's brother Jason. The woman, Becky, Sookie's cousin, she is pregnant with her father's child."

"HOLY SHIT, you mean Jason was abused as a child?" Lafayette asked

"Yes, I didn't tell Sookie any of it though, there was just too much going on, with Felicia and the speech, I just had to let it go"

* * *

Sookie and Gran had moved to the couch in the living room. Breakfast still on the table, forgotten.

"Sookie, you need to talk to him honey" Gran said to her softly "If you love him and I have no doubt you do, you need to talk to him. He deserves a chance to tell his side of things"

"Why so he can lie to me more? He doesn't love me, people who love each other don't treat each other this way"

"Sookie, just because people love each other, doesn't mean they are good to each other all the time. You love Jason and you two and rip each other to shreds at a moment's notice. People who love each other sometimes do stupid things, and treat each other badly, but because you love them, you give them a chance to apologize and make things right"

"I don't think I am ready yet" Sookie said "I just need some time to think"

"You take some time, but don't take too long Sookie. Life has a way of making us take advantage of time"

Patting Sookie's arm, she got up and went to the kitchen, looking at the dishes on the table she giggled "Why don't we go out for lunch and we can clean up when we get back?"

Sookie smile at her and nodded, rising from the couch, she went back to her room. Grabbing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt she set them on the bed. With a sigh, she reached into her purse and grabbed her cell phone.

She stood debating for a moment and turned it on. She quickly typed a message to Eric "I am safe" and pressed send.

She saw Lafayette had called and with a second deep breath she called him back.

* * *

Lafayette was sitting at the table with Eric when his phone rang.

Opening the device he spoke "Where the hell are you and why aren't you home?" he demanded angrily.

"I'm at home, and I'll be back later" she answered him quietly

"Home where?" Lafayette demanded "Did you fly all the way back to Louisiana Sookie?"

Eric's eyes widened as he listened to Lafayette.

"I needed to see Gran, and I needed to not see Eric for a while, I just sent him a text message telling him I was safe" she said

"You sent Eric a text message?" Lafayette said as Eric ran for his phone on the bedside table "You know we were all worried sick Sookie"

"I'm sorry Lafayette, I just need to be here for a while" she explained.

"When are you coming home?" he asked softly

"I'm not sure yet, I gotta go, I am going out with Gran, I'll call you later" she said, her eyes filling with tears as she closed the phone.

Eric sat down at the table his phone in his hand as he read her brief message, replying he sent "we need to talk"

He was surprised when he got an answer "later".

Looking at Lafayette he spoke "At least she answered me"

"She will be home soon, Gran isn't going to let her hide for long Eric, I know that woman, she will send Sookie home soon, but for now, maybe she needs this time to think things through"

"Should I go to her?" Eric asked

"Not this time, let Sookie come to you. She will, I have no doubt of that one" Lafayette said, "But we need to address this Felicia issue, call your lawyer and see what he has been able to accomplish. I may need to put a spin on this with the press if it gets leaked out"

Eric nodded and called the man who he hoped would have some answers.

* * *

Sookie and Gran went to lunch. It was on the way home that Gran said to her,

"You need to go home tomorrow you know"

"I don't think I'm ready" Sookie whispered, looking out the passenger window

"But you need to do this Sookie, you need to talk this through with him and you need to work this out honey. Staying here, as much as I love having you around, staying here is hiding, and I won't let you do that Sookie"

"I know Gran" Sookie said "Can you drop me off tomorrow at the airport?"

"Of course I can, what time does your flight leave?"

"I'll call when we get home and find out" Sookie told her

"Sookie, I can't make any decisions for you, but I want you to think about a few things baby, if you don't hear this man out, you don't give him a chance to explain himself, you are telling him you don't love him enough. You are telling this man, that you love, that you believe everyone else over him. I want you to think about that before you do anything, before you react to him, before you speak to him. You decide what you want, and if you want this man, if you love him, you have to love him the way he is, lumps, warts and all. Nobody is perfect. Look at you, for all you know, he could be so angry that you ran away without giving him a chance to speak that me may not want to talk to you again" Gran told her "How would you feel if this situation was reversed? Would you give you another chance?"

Sookie opened her mouth to speak and Gran stopped her "I don't want answers Sookie, I want you to think about these things. I've always tried to raise you to do the right thing, I've always told you to treat people the way you wanted to be treated. So I have to ask you, is this the way you wanted to be treated?"

* * *

Eric made his way to the hospital to visit with Victor and Sandy. After going over the speech and how well Sookie had handled it, Eric grew quiet. It was Victor who commented

"So, you want to tell me what is going on?" he asked, his gaze locking Eric's

"I don't know exactly" Eric stated "She flew home to Louisiana"

"What made her do that?" Victor asked him, slightly surprised Eric's answer

When Eric got done explaining the entire situation Victor commented,

"She'll be home, Gran won't let her hide for long Eric, you need to figure out what you want. Do you want Sookie? She isn't the type you love and leave you know"

"I want Sookie, the past 24 hours I've been going crazy without her" he said, running his hands through his hair "I don't believe Felicia with this baby thing, but I can't picture my life, my days without Sookie in them, Felicia or not, I don't know what to do without Sookie"

"She will be home soon Eric" Sandy said from beside him. She squeezed his shoulder gently. "Gran is a good woman and Sookie, you have to understand she has had alot to deal with, her first reaction was to run, and Gran is who she runs to. It sounds childish, but you have to realize as hard as her exterior is, Sookie is soft on the inside, and easily hurt, and easily spooked emotionally"


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: Not a doctor or a lawyer so I winged in on the geek speak :)**

* * *

Chapter 22

Felicia went to bed Friday night with a smile on her face. She felt joyous at what she knew was coming.

_'Eric will call me, he will pick me and this child over that blonde, I know it' _she thought to herself_ 'he just needs some time'_

Crawling in between the sheets of her hotel room bed, she let out a deep breath and fell into a relaxing slumber.

It was early the next morning when her cell phone woke her up.

"Good Morning" she answered, her voice heavy with sleep

"Good Morning, is this Miss Felicia Maines?" A masculine voice asked

Felicia sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, "This is she, can I help you?"

"Miss Maines, my name is Damon Catalides, I work for Mr. Eric Northman, I assume you are familiar with him?"

"Yes" she answered, a smile on her face "Please tell Eric, I will accept his marriage proposal"

"Miss Maines, I am not sure what you have discussed with Eric, I am calling you to discuss the terms of your pregnancy. I have been talking with a local Ob/Gyn, and a test can be done to genetically determine if Eric is the father of your baby. I have arranged for this to be done at Eric's expense. If the baby is determined to be Eric's I will discussing child support terms and visitation with you, that is of course if you want custody. It is not his desire, at this time, to take full custody, should the child be his"

"WHAT?" she screamed into the phone

"Perhaps you need some time to work threw some things Miss Maines. I will call you back later today, thank you for your time, and Eric has also asked me to tell you that any contact directly with him will be taken as a threat, please contact me for any communication with Mr. Northman, thank you." And he hung up

Felicia resisted the urge to throw her phone across the room. Instead she screamed her rage into the air, banging her fists on the bed.

* * *

Sookie and Gran made it home and after cleaning the kitchen, Gran went to take a nap, leaving Sookie alone with her thoughts.

She sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. It didn't take long for Sookie to lose track of the TV altogether, her mind going back to Eric and the mess they were in.

Picking up her cell phone, she sent him a message "I'll be home tomorrow"

His reply was immediate "I miss you" came his reply

Sookie typed "I miss you too, the bed was too big last night"

She smiled when his reply came thru "Bella said meow"

"Thank you for feeding her" Sookie smiled

"She gave me no choice, she cuddled up to me this morning, forced me to feed her" Eric's reply made her laugh

A second message came through before she could respond to his first "I love you Sookie, nothing will ever change that"

Sookie started crying softly as she stared at his message, wanting to reply to it, but for some reason unable to type the words to him.

She woke up several hours later to darkness, the sound of car tires on Gran's gravel driveway. Sookie stretched on the couch, yawning and listening to the sounds outside, trying to determine who it was. Sookie was thinking it was Jason til she heard her Gran, "Sookie, there is a large blonde man walking up the drive, and I don't think he is here to see me, sweetheart"

Sookie flew off the couch, to the front door. She was standing on the porch when she saw Eric walking up the driveway towards her.

Sookie was blinking her eyes trying to decide if it was really him or if she was dreaming.

"You didn't answer me" he said quietly, as he stood on the bottom step of the porch.

"I….I….I…" Sookie stuttered quietly.

Gran's voice behind them startled both of them "I'm going to the store, need some things, I'll see you both later, Mr. Northman, Sookie can introduce us later tonight" she said smiling "Sookie, remember what I said" she walked away then, it was only moments later that Sookie heard the car start in the driveway and the sound of the tires on the gravel drive as she left.

"Sookie, I love you, and we need to talk about this" he said to her, stepping towards her slowly. He was standing in front of her, their eyes locked when she spoke softly.

"I love you Eric"

He dropped to his knees in front of her, his arms wrapping around her waist to pull her close, his head pressed into her abdomen. Sookie ran her hands through his hair timidly at first, then she wrapped her arms around his head and shoulders and held him close.

They stood that way for some time before Eric spoke first, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hide it from you, I was going to tell you Friday after the speech, but I was afraid if I said anything before the speech, it would throw you off, and I didn't want to do that, you deserved the opportunity to make the speech with nothing else bothering you."

When she said nothing, he started to rise. His eyes locking on hers "Sookie?" he asked, his arms wrapping around her waist "Please say something, I know I should have waited for you to come home, but I didn't want to be without you for another night"

Sookie started crying then "Eric I'm so sorry" she sobbed, her arms curling around his neck, "I should have talked to you first, I treated you so badly, I'm sorry Eric, I'm so sorry"

"Sookie, stop, I kept something from you, if all you do is run home to your Gran, I can deal with that, I promise to not hide things from you again" he vowed

"I'm so sorry" she sobbed, her head pressed against his chest.

He wiped the tears from her eyes before pressing his lips to hers. Their arms tightened around each other as they clung to the other. Eric scooped her up in his arms as she pointed towards the stairs, their lips never parting. Walking up the stairs and thru the open door of her room, he kicked it closed behind him.

Setting her down on the bed, they were pulling each others clothes off, both anxious to feel the skin of the other.

"I need you Sookie" he said, pressing his lips to her collar bone as he kissed his way down, taking her nipple into his mouth, his hand cupping the other breast. Sookie's had one of her hands at the back of his head, her fingers curling in his hair. Her other hand was holding onto his shoulder as he leaned her back, her knees bent on the bed as she knelt in front of him.

Eric pressed her back onto the mattress, sliding between her legs as he did so. Sookie ran her hand from his shoulder, down his body, wrapping around his now stiff shaft. Her thumb grazing his tip, earning a groan from him as she did.

Eric pinched her nipple and quickly moved his hand down to her core, testing for her readiness. Lining himself up, he quickly slid inside of her, both of them sighing as their hips touched.

"Marry me Sookie" he begged, as he kissed her

Sookie's mind froze at his words. His hips began moving and she was lost to the feeling of him sliding in and out of her. He used his thumb to tease her pleasure nub as they moved against each other harmoniously. It took only moments for her walls to start pulsing around him, Eric's thumb moving quicker, causing her to cry out, and he changed his movement again, this time pinching her nub, sending her over the edge his name on her lips

"ERIC" she cried arching into him, her walls clenching him tightly,

"So tight for me Sookie…shit…I'm cuming" he said, thrusting into her as he followed her over the cliff.

They were still for moment, Eric feeling her spasm around him, their foreheads pressed against each other.

"I meant it Sookie, marry me" he whispered, his eyes closed as he moved his head back and forth on hers "You are the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I think about at night, marry me Sookie, share my life with me"

"Oh Eric" Sookie said "I don't know what to say" she cried, tears falling from her eyes, her hands cupping his face.

"Say yes Sookie, tell me yes" he said, opening his eyes looking at her

"Yes Eric, yes I want to marry you, I love you" she whispered pressing her lips to his.

* * *

It was some time later that Eric and Sookie managed to get dressed and make their way to the kitchen.

"Tea?" she offered, filling the large tea kettle with water.

"Please" he replied, "We still need to talk through what happened Sookie"

"I know, I just want some tea first, let me do this and when I sit, we can has all of this out, ok?"

"Yes" he answered a smile on his face

They both heard the sound of tires on the driveway, and moments later, Gran walking through the back door.

"Is it safe?" she asked as she saw Sookie and Eric in the kitchen

"Yes Gran, I'm heating water for tea, want some?" she asked grabbing down 3 mugs and grabbing the tea bags as she moved through the kitchen

"That would be lovely, Mrs. Fortenbery is not the best hostess" Gran replied, sitting at the table with Eric.

"Gran, this is Eric Northman, Eric, this is my Gran, Adele Stackhouse" Sookie said introducing them to each other.

Gran took Eric's hand with a smile, "Very nice to meet you young man"

"It is a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Stackhouse" Eric replied his smile widening as they shook hands "I want you to be the first to know, I've asked Sookie to be my wife, and she said yes"

Gran squealed with delight, rushing over to Sookie and wrapping her arms around her. "I guess you listened to me huh?" she whispered in Sookie's ear. Sookie nodded before she let Gran go.

Gran smiled at her and led her to the table, "Let me pour the tea, you two tell me what has happened?"

"Eric and I still need to discuss that part of things" Sookie said, sitting at the table beside Eric.

"Sookie" Eric began "I don't have all the answers yet. Felicia called me and told me she was pregnant, she tried to blackmail me into marrying her. I refused, and called my lawyer, Damon Catalides. He is going to force her to take a test to prove, genetically, that this baby is mine. If it is, I will assume responsibility for it, I will support it, and will have visitation, but I will not marry this woman" Taking both of her hands in his "I can assure you Sookie, beyond the shadow of a doubt, I took all precautions I could to make sure she didn't get pregnant" he said carefully, looking in her eyes while he did. "I may have been lax with you, but I promise I was not that way with her"

Sookie squeezed his hand "What will happen if this baby is yours? Will you move back to California? Will she move to DC?"

"I don't know what she is going to do, but I am not moving back to California. We, meaning you and I, will marry and together, we will assist with the baby anyway we can, as a team. I won't turn my back on the child, and I will help her as appropriate, and as long as she keeps the child safe, I will not try to take custody, but I cannot guarantee that I won't at a later date. And our children" he smiled at her then "will see no difference between this one and them, but Sookie, I am not giving you up because of this, can you stand beside me? I know it's a lot to ask of you, but will you do it?"

"Eric" she said, her hands cupping his face "I want to be with you, no matter what we have to go through, if you want me with you, I want to be there" she ran her fingers though his hair with one hand, her other holding his chin "This past week, I've never been happier, I've never been as relaxed as I have with you, and this weekend, being here without you, has been hell. I am just not sure how we will get through it all, I don't want to make promises we can't keep."

"Then lets just promise that no matter what, you won't run again, and I will not keep anything from you, no matter what is going on" Eric suggested.

"I think that is a good idea" Gran said from beside them "I will tell you both, you cannot guess what life is going to bring you, the only thing you can do is promise to be there for each other, no matter what. Your grandfather" she said looking at Sookie "and I, fought like mad, but we loved just as deeply. Our promise was that no matter what, we would always be there for each other, he was my best friend" Gran smiled at both of them, "We didn't have to face the same obstacle that you do now, but we had our share of them, and we always made it through"

Walking back to the counter, she grabbed two of the mugs, and set them in front of Eric and Sookie. Grabbing the last, she turned to look at them "I will bid you both a good night, Eric, I will see you in the morning, Sookie, don't keep him up late, he's been traveling" she nodded at the couple and walked back to her bedroom, shutting the door.

"I love you Sookie, I don't know what is going to happen, but I know I want you with me Sookie" he rubbed his face into her hand, his own hands pulling her forward into his arms. "I love you" he whispered

"I love you" she replied

They sat together for a while, finally getting up to go to bed, mugs in hand. Sookie pulled on her shirt from the night before, while Eric just stripped down to his boxer briefs. Crawling into bed and falling asleep with their arms wrapped around each other.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Sunday morning, Sookie woke before Eric. Climbing out of the bed, she walked down the stairs to find her Gran in the kitchen, making breakfast.

"Good Morning Gran" Sookie said

"Good Morning baby girl" Gran said smiling as she turned around to look at her. She found Sookie sitting at the table, staring at the floor.

"What's wrong?" Gran asked

"Gran, I know I love Eric, but we've only known each other for a week, maybe a few days more than that, how can I be sure this is the man to marry?" Sookie said, her mind full of doubts.

"You don't know" Gran said smiling, "You trust your decision, you decided that you loved this man, you decided that you would make it work, and you trust in that decision Sookie. This isn't something you can look in your daytimer to find the answer to baby, you have to make your decision and stick to it, richer or poorer" Gran told her.

"But I don't know if it's the correct decision" Sookie said, "I don't want to make a mess out of my life or his"

"Sookie, life only gives you a few chances at happiness. Sometimes you have to grab them with both hands and not let go" Gran said, sitting down in the chair next to her "Baby, you have to make your decision and not look back, do you love him?"

"Yes" Sookie said "Is it odd to know that after only a week?"

"I knew the day I met you Grandfather Sookie, I knew he was the one for me" Gran said smiling at her "Don't listen to other people, its not their life, its yours, if you love this man, then accept it and move forward"

Patting her hand, Gran stood up and moved back to the stove "Now are you hungry? Do you want to go wake that man of yours up for some breakfast?"

"Yep" Sookie said, walking back up the stairs to get Eric. Eric was reaching for her when she walked through the door, his hand moving up and down the bed where she had been sleeping.

"Outta bed sleepy head" she said to him from the doorway.

Eric rolled onto his back, his eyes heavy with sleep as he gazed at her. "You're already up?" he asked

"Yep, and Gran is down stairs wanting to make us breakfast, so get up and come down" Sookie said.

"No good morning kiss?" he asked arching his brow at her

"No way, if I come near you know, you'll pull me back to bed, and Gran will hear us" she teased walking away

"SLAVE DRIVER!" he yelled from the bed as he sat up, rubbing his face, his answer was Sookie's giggle as she made her way down the stairs.

"He's coming Gran" Sookie told her as she sat at the table.

Eric appeared moments later, in gray pajama pants and a gray t-shirt. Standing in the doorway he asked "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Gran turned to him and smiled "I appreciate the offer, but I think you should sit and talk to your bride, you have a case of cold feet on your hands" she winked at him.

Eric smiled and sat next to Sookie at the table "Cold feet?" he asked her.

"Not exactly, it's just concern" Sookie explained "Eric, we've only known each other a week"

"And I know that I want to spend the rest of my life getting to know you Sookie, I love you just the way you are, that won't ever change"

"How do you know that? How do you know you won't meet some other woman at a party and decide she is a better match for you?"

"I made up my mind already" Eric explained with a shrug of his shoulders, "You are who I choose, I won't change it now. Besides, I can't imagine anyone else raising my children, Sookie I want to see YOU grow with my baby in your belly. I want to see YOU as we grow old together and watch OUR grandchildren, I want to vacation with YOU and show YOU the world, I want all of this with YOU"

"I'm scared Eric, I don't want to be in this for 10 years with kids and have you decide you made a mistake, I won't be able to handle that" she said, her blue eyes filling with tears "I won't divorce"

"I don't want to divorce Sookie, I want to get married" he said "I can only tell you that won't happen, we still need time to plan a wedding and we haven't even gotten you a ring yet, let's take all of this one step at a time" Eric said, taking her hands in his. "We fly home later today, are there any jewelry stores you want to look at locally for your ring?" he asked smiling at her

"I don't know much about jewelry, you just pick it, I'll love whatever you get" Sookie said

"Sookie, you have to wear this thing every day for the rest of your life, I want you to have a say in it" Eric said smiling "I think there is a Tiffany's in New Orleans, why don't we stop there on the way to the airport today and we can take a peek at what they have?"

Gran giggled at the stove then, "Tiffany's is every girl's best friend Sookie, I'll go if you don't"

Sookie started grinning then "Alright, we can go, but I still have no clue what to pick"

"I think I can help with that" Eric smiled at her as Gran set two plates in front of them

"I took a guess that bacon and eggs would be ok for everyone" she said smiling and set two steaming cups of coffee in front of them after she spoke "with coffee"

"Coffee" Sookie breathed "Coffee is good coffee is wise"

Eric laughed at the expression on Sookie's face "Eggs are fine Thank you Mrs. Stackhouse"

"Adele, please no Mrs stuff for me, Adele or Gran, you're gonna be family young man" Gran said sitting at the table with them

"Alright, Adele, thank you for breakfast, and letting me stay" he said smiling at her "It was most kind"

"Just take care of my Sookie, and I'll consider the favor returned" Gran said winking at him "And give me great grandbabies, lots of them" she laughed

"I'll get right on that" Eric smirked looking at Sookie who blushed a deep red and was suddenly preoccupied with her food.

The three of them finished breakfast, chatting as friends, discussing plans for a wedding, still undecided on where to have the ceremony and the future. Eric already had plans to meet with a realtor the following week and would be taking Sookie with him, wanting her to pick the house for them.

It was almost 11 before they noticed the time. Eric and Sookie left the table to pull themselves together for the trip home, while Gran cleaned up the kitchen.

Having gotten his bag from the car in the night, Eric shaved in the sink, while Sookie took a very quick shower. She left the water running for him so he could jump in behind her, pressing a kiss to his lips as she ran to the bedroom to escape the arm he was trying to wrap around her.

At 12:30 they were saying their goodbyes to Gran, Sookie stuffing a wad of cash into her hand. She knew Gran was proud but she also knew she didn't have enough to cover all of her monthly expenses.

"Sookie Stackhouse you take this cash you are gonna need it for wedding things" Gran told her sternly

"No Gran, you take it and buy yourself a dress with it, or a new hat, you use that money on you, not me. I know its tight around here and don't think I've not seen the roof" Sookie said to her "I'll be calling Jason to have someone out here to fix it" she told her "You need to tell me when things are going wrong so I can get it fixed Gran"

"I am fine Sookie, you take care of you, don't you worry about us down here" Gran lectured as she walked Sookie to Eric's rental car.

Eric said nothing during the exchange, only listened from the car. When Sookie was in and they were backing out of the driveway he spoke "Sookie, will you let me help her? I can have her monthly expense taken care of so that she doesn't have to think about them anymore" he offered

Sookie looked at him shocked "Eric …. Are you sure? I don't want to take your money" she said

"I have more than you could spend Sookie" Eric smiled at her "My parents were very well off before they passed, we'll talk about that another time, but helping Gran would be an honor for me" he squeezed her hand as they drove up the road.

"I have all of her utilities on auto charge to my credit card, but she doesn't know much about it. She just noticed that she was no longer getting utility bills" Sookie smiled "The roof is my biggest concern, I want Jason to get a crew over here and look at it"

"Have it taken care of and I'll pay for it, whatever the cost, and if some attic repair is needed, I'll do that also, I noticed some water damage when we were in your room last night" he told her

"I think the last storm was a doozie" she said nodding, pulling out her phone she called Jason and left him a voicemail telling him to get an estimate about the roof and attic and that she would pay for it once she saw it.

Eric smiled at her tone, noticing she had shifter to her "admin" role quickly to get things done. "I love you Sookie" he said, holding his hand out for hers.

Sookie took his hand and squeezed "I love you too" she said leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek as they made the drive to New Orleans chattering about memories and music for the duration of the trip.

They walked into Tiffany's hand in hand and looked through the multiple jewelry cases, finding nothing that grabbed her attention or heart.

She whispered into Eric's ear "they're all cold, I don't like them" nodding Eric smiled at the attendant and they turned to leave until Sookie's eye landed on a window display. She found a very basic pear shaped diamond with baguettes on either side set in platinum. Her eyes lit up and Eric knew he'd found the ring he wanted.

With a smile he pointed to the display, while a basic stone and a basic setting, the ring was over 3 carats, and when she tried it on, Eric started to wonder if it was enough. The look on Sookie's face made up his mind.

"Do you like it?" he asked

"Yes" she said smiling at it "its simple and elegant" she said her blue eyes meeting his almost begging.

With a smile on his face, he took the ring and handed it to the attendant "Please" he said, handing the woman his credit card, "And don't let her see the price" he said smiling at Sookie.

"Eric!" Sookie said

"Nope, I am only buying one engagement ring Sookie, cost is none of your business, you are only supposed to wear it forever and love it and think of me when you look at it" he said grinning at her as he snaked an arm tightly around her waist.

"I'll try to not think of the cost" Sookie said quietly, her mind reeling as she saw him sign off on a slip with entirely too many zeros for her comfort.

Eric took the bag and took the ring out of it, falling to one knee in the store, he looked up at her and ignored all the smiling faces around them, "Sookie Stackhouse" he said taking her hand "Will you marry me?" he asked.

Sookie blushed a deep red, shaking like a leaf, as she looked at him "Yes Eric Northman, I will marry you" she said smiling nervously, as he slid the ring on, and swung her around in his arms.

They both heard the clapping around them and noticed the audience they had attracted. Eric smiled at everyone broadly "She said yes" he said nodding, as folks started laughing.

Their attendant giggled "How long have you known each other?" she asked

"A week, and I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make sure she doesn't get away" Eric answered smiling as he looked at Sookie

"How romantic!" the woman gushed "My grandparents did the same thing, they were married for 65 years, until my grandfather passed away, my grandmother never re-married though, she always said she could never love another"

After leaving the store, they made their way to the airport, the words of the attendant echoing in Sookie's mind.

She spent the flight snuggled up to Eric in first class, thinking that she was happy for the first time in a long time.

Arriving back at Sookie's apartment they were both greeted with a very unhappy Bella. The long hair cat was sitting at the front door, looking at the happy couple unhappily.

"I'm sorry Bella" Sookie said, walking towards the cat who ran from her, with a flick of her fluffly tail.

"Come back here Isabella" Sookie said sternly.

Eric grinned then "I don't think she is happy" as Sookie playfully smacked him.

Walking towards the kitchen, Sookie opened the pantry and grabbed a can of the salmon she kept for just such occasions. Opening the can, she noticed Bella sat at the kitchen opening looking at her.

"I'm sorry" Sookie said as she received a "meow" reply

"It was an unexpected trip, Bella" she explained as the cat's eyes watched her intently.

Sookie scooped the salmon out onto a plate and set it down beside Bella's water and hard food. As the cat approached, smelling the treat, she allowed Sookie to scratch behind her ears.

Walking away, past an amused Eric, she walked into her bedroom "Its forgiven" she explained.

"Salmon equals forgiveness?" Eric asked

"In Bella's world, yes" Sookie told him. Unpacking the bag Eric had brought, she hung up her suit and grabbed the clothes in her laundry basket. She noticed some of Eric's things mixed in as she sorted them "Do you have any laundry upstairs you want to add?" she offered

"Yes, let me go grab it" he begged as she nodded.

Eric returned as she was sorting out her delicates, he grinned holding up a pair of her lace panties "I don't remember these"

"I wore them Friday" she smirked back at him

"Remind me to get you more of those" he replied "I'll have to demand a fashion show. I'll tackle the kitchen" he offered

"Thank you" she replied "Just load the dishwasher, I don't wash twice, my dishwasher is a good one, it will take most food off the plates" she explained as Eric walked away.

They spent the rest of the evening doing normal household chores and ordered Chinese for dinner, that Eric went to pick up.

When they were snuggled up in bed, with Bella in Sookie's lap, she asked "So are we telling work?" she indicated the ring on her finger.

"I am happy to take the front page of the Washington Post for our announcement if you want?" Eric replied, flipping through channels on the TV.

"Guess it's not going to be a secret then" Sookie giggled

"I hadn't planned on keep it a secret, did you?" Eric asked looking at her

"Not really, I've never been in this situation before, what am I supposed to do?" Sookie said

"I believe you are supposed to call your girlfriends and have lunch and brag about your ring" Eric laughed at her "then you are supposed to tell them how much I make you scream in bed and how you can't wait for the wedding night"

"Oh my god Eric, how many of these conversations have you overheard?" Sookie asked

"Enough" Eric smiled, flipping to the news.

They both stopped for a minute, listening to the headlines.

"And in society news today, sources revealed Eric Northman, CEO of Unity who recently acquired technology giant The Patriot, will be a father. The as of now unmarried bachelor was revealed to be the father of Felicia Maines' first child. Felicia Maines is the divorced daughter of billionare Appius Livius Ocella. Congratulatons to the happy couple"

"Oh Shit" Sookie said quietly as Eric reached for his already ringing cell phone.

* * *

**AN: ummmm...well...see...what had happend was...**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"And in society news today, sources revealed Eric Northman, CEO of Unity who recently acquired technology giant The Patriot, will be a father. The as of now unmarried bachelor was revealed to be the father of Felicia Maines' first child. Felicia Maines is the divorced daughter of billionare Appius Livius Ocella. Congratulatons to the happy couple"

"Oh Shit" Sookie said quietly as Eric reached for his already ringing cell phone.

"Its Lafayette" Eric said opening the phone "Northman" he said

"Did you go get our girl?" Lafayette asked

"Yes, she is laying next to me we are in bed, we just saw the news, have you heard?" Eric asked, grabbing Sookie's hand in his

"Yep, that is why I am calling" Lafayette said

"Well, I asked Sookie to marry me, and she accepted, we got the ring today in Louisiana and I'm not hiding it" Eric said firmly

"We don't have to, has your girl taken her test to prove paternity?"

"I don't know I'll call Damon tomorrow" Eric answered "I don't want to wake him tonight"

"That's fine, we will make both statements at the same time" Lafayette told him "I will announce your engagement to Sookie and we will throw the Bitch under the bus, I won't have her dragging Sookie's husbands name through the mud"

"Whatever it takes Lafayette" Eric said laughing, turning to Sookie he said "Sookie's husbands name through the mud" in response to her questioning look.

Smiling Sookie said "Let me talk to him"

"Hold on for a moment Lafayette Sookie wants to talk to you" he said passing her the phone.

"Lafayette?" Sookie said

"You said yes?" Lafayette practically screamed into the phone

"We will discuss that later, right now, Felicia, tomorrow, we will announce the engagement AND we will announce that while Eric and I will gladly accept any responsibility for the child in question if it is indeed Eric's we have reason to believe at this time that the claim is false, since Mrs Maines has failed to provide proof of Eric's paternity. I want this to be all out war, I will not have trailer trash trying to expose him this way, I'll make sure this cunt goes down myself if I have to, AND I want you to start contacting all the admins we know, I'll hold a lunch at the office so that we can address these issues" Sookie told him, her mind working overtime on the slander.

Eric sat in bed, shocked at Sookie's language and amused at her defense of him.

Closing the phone, Sookie handed it back to Eric.

"You know Sookie, I can manage this" He said calmly

"She is attacking you, which means, she is attacking me, and I won't have it. I'll use all of my influence Eric and I have a lot, people owe me favors here" she said, her eyes flashing with her anger "I won't have it" she said getting up out of bed and walking into her bathroom.

She went into her medicine cabinet and grabbed an Ambien, taking it with a glass of water she kept beside her bed.

"Stressed?" he asked, arching a brow at her

"Pissed as hell" she replied, snuggling up to him

"We have to find a better way for you to deal with insomnia Sookie, I don't like pills" he cautioned

"I honestly don't either, but I don't have to take them that frequently, I've had that prescription for almost 6 months now" she replied

"But that is the second one you've taken in less than 10 days, I'm just concerned that's all sweetheart" he said, pulling her close to him, tucking her head under his chin "I don't want anything to happen to you Sookie, if you are stressed and can't sleep we need to find a better way to deal with it"

"I'm open to suggestions" she said "I have some much trouble sometimes, once I fall asleep I stay asleep, but I just have such a time falling asleep when my nerves get plucked" she explained, kissing his chest as she rubbed her hands up his arm "I'm sorry if I disturb you"

"Sookie, you don't disturb me, I just want to make sure we are doing everything we can for you sweetheart" he said, pulling her head to look into her eyes "I think there are other alternatives we can look into without having to pop pills lover"

"Its part of the reason I run sometimes" she explained "I try to wear myself out so that I can get tired enough to sleep"

"I'll investigate it tomorrow, I know Pam has issues sleeping, she always has I'll ask her for suggestions"

Sookie was drifting off to sleep no long after that, safe in the arms of her future husband.

Eric was awake for a bit longer, leaning over to call Pam on his cell phone. Sookie taking Ambien was nagging at him, he just didn't feel comfortable with it and in light of Felicia's most recent antic, he was worried it was going to be a stressful few weeks.

"Hello brother dearest" Pam said answering her phone

"I have news" Eric told her smiling

"Beyond the Felicia pregnancy scandal?"

"Yes, I asked Sookie to marry me and she accepted, we got the ring today in Louisiana after an unexpected trip to see her Grandmother"

"WOW, does she know about the Felicia scandal?"

"Yes, we saw it on the news about an hour ago" Eric explained "Which is why I'm calling, she has a prescription for Ambien and doesn't take it much, but its concerning me. She has problems falling asleep during stressful times, and I've now seen her take it twice in less than 10 days"

"I'll ask a few friends, I take Melatonin and its by no means a cure all, but it helps me. I do however have some odd dreams now and then, but I didn't like Ambien, it tended to stay with me the next day" Pam explained "So...when do I get to meet her as my sister in law instead of your employee?"

"Soon" Eric answered smiling "Look into the Ambien thing for me and I'll work on a lunch or dinner with her this week and invite you to join us"

Closing his phone, Eric looked at the woman in his arms, his smile broadening as he did so. He fell asleep not long after.

* * *

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE ONLY KNOWN HIM A WEEK? Sookie, he has been here for almost 3 weeks now. You may have onl been sleeping with him for a week, but you've known him longer than that" Lafayette yelled at her after she expressed her fears.

"You don't think it's too soon?" Sookie asked

"No! If you are happy and he is happy that is all that matter, fuck everyone else Sookie. Now we got to work on this engagement announcement for you two, and I am a little hesistant to attack Felicia, why don't we just leave her out of it" he suggested "I'll leak the engagement to one of the Post folks and it will be on the next day's front page" Lafayette promised her.

"Alright, do it that way, and I'm maintaining my job and we are all working through the transition to make us one company blah blah blah" Sookie said grinning

"You gots it baby" Lafayette smiled at her using his slang

"Good, I'm going to go see Victor" Sookie said, getting up and walking out of Lafayette's office. She had her purse with her already and sent Eric a text message, letting him know she was going to visit the hospital and she'd be back in a couple of hours.

* * *

Eric was sitting in a meeting, a meeting he'd been in for almost 3 hours, when Sookie's text came through. Smiling he replied "Be safe, ILY" it was a moment later she replied "I will, ILY2"

Turning his attention back to the table Eric spoke "I recommend a no bid, there is no revune to be had on this venture and we have to risk over 3 million in captial. With no guarantee return on investment, I won't authorize the release of funds"

"Your only one vote Mr. Northman, we need 2 more to break the tie" answered a voice

"I count as three votes, I represent myself, Sookie Stackhouse and Victor Madden" he replied quickly and firmly "Your tie is broken and our meeting is over, it is a no bid"

Eric grabbed his things quickly, looking at the shocked group, he left he room. Making his way back to his office, he found Cheryl sitting at the desk, eating a salad.

"Hello!" he said, breezing by walking into his office. Cheryl waved, her mouth full at the time, and smiled as he shut the door.

Eric sat down in his chair and called Damon.

"Eric!" Damon said as he answered his phone "I knew I would be hearing from you today"

"I'm engaged and not to Felicia, Damon, what is with that woman? I thought the paternity test demand was going to shut her up?"

"I've already filed a slander suit against her. I just finished with the judge actually, she has been notified that if she speaks to the press anymore about you, she will be hit with a fine of over $400. The judge also gave her two weeks to get into the doctor of her choice to submit to the swab test. That will determine the genetics of the child. It's no more risky than an amniocentesis, which I believe she has to have done anyway, this will negate the need for that so we win either way"

"Good, I want this done and over with ASAP, Sookie, my fiancee does not need to be dealing with this, Felicia actually approached her on Friday, it caused some...issues to say the least. Is there anything I can do to ensure she stays away from both of us?" Eric asked

"Not until she actually does something, I'm afraid not, but if she approaches Sookie again, call me, it can at that time be classified as harassment and a judge might listen then. AND congratulations on your engagement Eric, I wish you the best"

"Thank you, I'm quite proud of it myself" Eric said smiling "I'll probably be calling you later this week, I'll want to bring Sookie in to meet you and to change all of my estate papers" Eric told him

"Is it something I can prepare ahead of time and have ready for you when you arrive?" Damon asked

"I'll have to call you back on that, its a good idea, I just need to plan this carefully, Sookie isn't going to want everything I can give her and I have to find a way to ease her into this. She has no idea about my parents"

"I cannot wait to meet this woman Eric, anyone who has no interest in your family is curious to me" Damon told him laughing.


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: Lemons dedicated to Kjwrit! She gave me what I wanted (sorta hee hee) so I am repaying the favor (hee hee hee) smooches to all. **

* * *

Chapter 25

Eric drove home Monday, anxious to see Sookie. He knew she'd gone to the hospital to see Victor and that she was on the way home, but he'd missed her, he'd not seen her since that morning, when they separated at the office.

They were going to meet the real estate agent tomorrow afternoon, there were some houses in Great Falls he wanted to look at. He wanted to stay in the suburbs of DC, near his office. The agent had sent him some listings for a few places in DC, but he just wasn't happy at the thought of living so far in the city.

Parking in his garage, Eric almost ran downstairs, using his key to let himself in the apartment "Hello" he called out, walking through the door.

"Hello" Sookie answered from the kitchen

"Meow" answered Bella from the back of the living room couch, looking at him expectantly.

Eric dropped his bags by the door and paused to pet Bella's head, earning him a purr of approval, before walking into the kitchen to catch Sookie in her nightgown at the stove cooking dinner.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, Eric squeezed, pressing his lips to her hair "I missed you today" he said softly

Sookie smiled and leaned into him for a moment, before turning around and facing him "I missed you today, how was your day?" she asked softly, pressing her lips to his.

Bella interrupted them, wrapping herself around his legs with a loud "Meow"

"It was good, but it sounds like someone is hungry" he said laughing

"She is starving you know, very neglected" Sookie smiled at him, watching as he opened a can of soft food for the cat.

Setting it down, Eric walked to the bedroom, pulling his shirt out and unbuttoning it as he walked.

"How is Victor?" Eric called

"He's better, they are talking about sending him home this coming weekend" Sookie answered from the doorway. She was trying not to drool at the sight of Eric shirtless.

Eric smirked at her, almost knowing the affect he was having on her, as he stepped out of his shoes, his hands on his pants.

"How was the meeting?" Sookie asked, attempting to focus on something other than Eric.

"I decided a no bid, they wanted too risk an insane amount of money with no return on investment, I made an executive decision and I am sure you will hear all about it later" he smirked at her, stepping out of his pants, tossing his socks into the dirty clothes hamper as he walked to the closet to hang his pants.

Eric stood in front Sookie, wearing his gray boxer briefs. Stepping towards her, Eric arched an eyebrow "You seem distracted Sookie" he breathed in her ear.

"Nnno" she stammered, trying to turn but finding herself held hostage by a set of arms "I need to finish dinner" she whispered as her head fell back onto his shoulder.

Eric kissed the side of her neck, working towards her ear as he whispered "I don't think you are worried about dinner Sookie"

"I can't exactly think when you are doing that" she answered as her hands reached behind her body, holding his legs, as his hands pulled her nightgown up, cupping her breasts.

"What are you talking about?" he whispered

"Eric" she moaned as his fingers pinched her nipples. "Damnit….so good…" she said, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth attempting to keep her moan quiet.

"Sookie" he whispered

"What?"

"I bet, if I reach down between those lovely legs of yours, to that beautiful pussy, I am gonna find it very wet, aren't I?" Eric whispered

"Oh God"

"You like being a bad girl don't you?" Eric said in her ear "You like it when I talk that way don't you"

His left hand left her breast, trailing down her stomach, the tips of his fingers trailing on her skin.

"Put your hands on the wall, and don't move them" he told her as his right hand moved down her body. His left hand was on her left thigh and his right hand on her right thigh, his hands stroked her skin lightly, moving up and down her legs, getting closer but never quite touching her where she wanted it most.

Sinking to his knees behind her, Eric playfully nipped at her cheeks, eliciting a moan from deep within her. Forcing her legs wide apart with an arm, his hands switched thighs, his right hand on her left thigh and his left hand on her right thigh as he started kneading the flesh. Sitting between her legs, Eric kissed up the inside of her left thigh, breathing on her flesh as he moved up

"Sookie?" he said

"Eric"

"You're not wearing any panties" he stated, breathing out across the curls of her mound without touching her

"No" she whimpered

"What a naughty naughty girl I have" he said, still breathing on her skin

"uh-huh" she answered

"What should I do with my naughty girl?" he asked, his tongue tracing circles on the skin above her curls

"ericcccc" she whimpered

"How should I punish you Sookie?"

"Oh God Eric"

"I have to do something Sookie" Eric teased her breathing his hot breath across her mound "I need to make sure I show you what happens to naughty girls" he said

"How?" she asked

"I think I have an idea" Eric said, his tongue finally touching her nether lips, separating them as he flattened it, seeking her nub.

"YESSS" she cried out, her back arching, her head falling back as she yelled at the ceiling

After moving his tongue back and forth for a moment, Eric slid a hand up her thigh, sliding a finger deep inside her. Pulling his head back he spoke

"So wet for me Sookie…that pussy is so wet lover….I'm gonna have to make sure we teach you a lesson you don't forget"

"Eric, please….don't…..stop" she begged as she felt his tongue return to her nub, she felt him suck it into his mouth as she struggled to remain standing "Sooo good" she cried out as he slid another finger into her, he began curling them as he was thrusting.

Grazing his teeth on her clit, Eric moaned, knowing the affect he was having on her as he felt her walls tighten on his fingers, milking them. He felt her body shake above him, as her cries got deeper and louder, "I'm ….. I'm….. gonna…..o god…I'm cuming Eric YESSSS!" she cried out.

Eric let her ride out the orgasm before standing and picking her up. He set her down on the bed, taking a moment to pull her nightgown off of her and to remove his own boxers before joining her. He kissed her deeply and slid himself inside of her, his hips pressing into her own.

"I've got to go to the doctor" Sookie said, her eyes closed in pleasure

"Shit" Eric said, pulling out of her "I'm sorry Sookie, I don't know why I keep not paying attention" he said, fumbling to reach a drawer in her bed side table.

"No" Sookie said, grabbing his arm "You're fine Eric, don't worry about it now" she demanded "I need to feel you, please"

Eric moaned and rolled back over, sliding inside of her "I'm pulling out" he said "Its immature but I've not been the best at maturity lately" he said as he thrust into her slowly

"Just fuck me" she demanded "I want it and I want it hard Eric Northman, don't you dare pull out of me" she said, squeezing her muscle and earning a groan from Eric as she did so.

"My naughty girl" he moaned as he increased his speed. Pulling her legs up he hooked his arms under he knees and started pounding her as she pushed her hands up under the pillows and against her headboard. "SOOKIE" he yelled as she started clenching him, his seed filling her.

Releasing her legs, Eric settled on the bed, pulling her close to him. "I'm sorry Sookie" he said "I keep acting so irresponsibly" he panted

"My appointment is next week and I'm not fertile this week, I don't think" she replied

"You don't think?" he asked laughing

"Everyone I've talked to says its almost impossible to know for sure, so I'm not sure" she said.

"When was your last period?" he asked softly

"Eric!" she answered her face turning bright red

"Sookie, I have a sister and I am a sexually active male, did you think I didn't know about periods and fertility?" he asked smiling as Sookie buried her head in a pillow.

"Well…no…but I didn't expect to discuss my time with you" Sookie mumbled through the pillow.

"Sweetheart?" Eric said, pulling the pillow from her face, his eyes meeting her "Sookie you realize I am going to figure these things out" he said gently "Its going to be evident when it happens"

Sookie's eyes grew wide and her face bright red again. "It was before you were here" she whispered.

"I got here 3 weeks ago Sookie" Eric stated, "Are you late Sookie?" he asked quietly

"I don't want to talk about this Eric" Sookie said trying to get up off the bed "dinner" she said grabbing a robe as she ran to the kitchen.

"Sookie" Eric called out "We need to talk about this" he said, pulling on his pajama pants and walking into the kitchen. "Sookie" he said, wrapping his arms around her "sweetheart, are you late?" he asked

"Eric, please, let's just figure out dinner" she said refusing to look at him. "I need to run" she said, moving back to her bedroom. Closing her bathroom door, she pulled on the workout clothes she kept behind it.

Eric followed her back to the bathroom and was sitting on the bed as she came out, "Sookie, we have to talk about this" he told her "I need to know" he took her hands in his, pulling her close. "Please, talk to me" he begged "Let me in, talk to me about this"

Sookie shuffled her feet, moving her weight between her feet, unable to stand still. "I…..I….I don't want to talk about this Eric, I need to run" she said quietly squeezing his hand.

"No" Eric said "You are not running from me, we are going to discuss this Sookie if you are late, I need to know, and if you are late, that means you are pregnant with our baby, and I'm not letting you run until you see a doctor, and you are also not taking anymore of the Ambien" Eric told her firmly.

"Eric, you do not get to tell me what to do" Sookie told him, releasing his hand "I am not discussing this right now, because I don't know"

"You don't know if you are late?" Eric asked her, his eyes narrowing

"No, I didn't mark the last time I …. Did" Sookie said, rolling her eyes "I normally keep track of it and I didn't mark it on my calendar so I don't know exactly when, but I didn't want to say anything til I had an answer. Why even discuss this until I know what the hell is going on?" she turned then, heading for the door, when Eric grabbed her arms and pulled her into him.

"I meant what I said Sookie, you are doing nothing to risk your health until we know for sure, I was an irresponsible prick, not following my own rules about protection, but I am not going to fail you, and our potential child with more stupidity. You will not be running or taking anymore of your prescription, not until you can prove you aren't pregnant"

Sookie sighed in anger. "Eric –"

"No, now, have you taken a home pregnancy test?" he asked her

Sookie shook her head, "No"

"Alright, I can run out now, or you can get one tomorrow" Eric said

"Eric, I just need to slow this down" Sookie said pulling away from him "I know you want to know, but you don't want this baby, and I'm just not sure I can think straight right now, can we please talk about this tomorrow?"

"No" Eric said "We are discussing this Sookie, do you think you are pregnant?" he asked his eyes wide in surprise

"I don't know" Sookie insisted

"Why would you think I don't want this baby?" Eric asked

"We aren't married, Felicia, you don't want that one…." Sookie said her voice trailing off "I'm just not sure" she said, her arms wrapping around her tummy "I can't get rid of it Eric, I won't. If I am I mean, I won't end this pregnancy"

"Sookie, stop" Eric said as she started pacing "If you are pregnant, I want this baby, I would never make you get rid of it. This mess with Felicia is a mess, but I am fairly certain she isn't pregnant"

Eric stood up and put his arms around Sookie, forcing her to stand still "If you are pregnant, Sookie, I want this baby, I want you, I am marrying you…remember? We didn't plan for this, but sometimes life happens, you cannot plan your entire life in a daytimer"

Sookie smiled, remembering Gran's words to her not that long ago. "I know, but I just don't know how this is going to affect us Eric, we aren't married and I could be pregnant"

"Sookie, I will marry you tomorrow if you want, will that make you feel better? We can run to Vegas and elope, I don't care, I figured you would want a wedding with a dress and your friends and family?" Eric asked.

"I do, at least with Gran and Jason" Sookie said, rubbing her forehead with her hand "But Eric…I just don't know what to think, I don't want you to think I'm like Felicia. I don't want you pressured into something you don't want. I don't want you to wake up in 10 years and say you've made a terrible mistake, and that you don't love me"

"Sookie, please listen to me on this, I will want you, I love you" he spoke gently, his hand running down to her belly "And if we have a baby in there right now, I want it to, even if we didn't plan it. I want you in whatever way I get you and I want you happy, if you want to stay home and have 20 kids, I am ok with that, as long as you are happy Sookie, if you want to work, I'm ok with that too, we will figure this out as we go, that's part of the plan"

"I have to work Eric, I don't know how much you make but we will need the money if we are having a baby" Sookie said laying her head on his shoulder.

"Sookie, we need to talk about this too, I was going to have this conversation later, but I need you to know, we are not going to be hurt for money Sookie, you could have 20 kids and I would be able to support them all, effortlessly. My parents left Pam and I a very large amount of money and property, we will not want for anything … ever" he told her, rubbing his hands up and down her back "Why don't you get comfortable, and I'll figure out what to do for dinner?"

Eric smiled at her as she nodded and grabbed her nightgown off the bathroom floor. Walking towards the kitchen, he sighed running his hands through his hair. _'I'll be a Dad'_ he thought to himself.

The thought hit him like a ton of _bricks 'I'll be responsible for a baby. My son or daughter, a child….with Sookie'_ he realized. He was standing in the middle of the kitchen then, looking around and seeing nothing.

Sookie walked out then, and found him standing in the kitchen, walking up behind him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her head into the middle of his back "I love you" she whispered.

"I love you Sookie" he said, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close to him "What do you want to eat?" he asked

Sookie let go of him then and moved towards the fridge, "I'm not very hungry, what do you want?" she asked

"Want me to go grab take out?" he offered

"I have some lunch meat, want to split a sandwich?" she offered. At his nod, she grabbed the items from the fridge and piled on the last of the lunch meat and cheese.

"Can you live without mayo? I hate it" she told him

"You're from Louisiana and you hate mayo?" he asked, shocked

"I'm probably the only southern woman that can say that, but yes I hate mayo, its almost a mild allergy, it makes me sick" she told him, giggling.

"I don't care one way or the other, whatever you want" he told her smiling at her.

Sookie cut the sandwich in half and set it on a paper towel and grabbed a bag of chips and walked to the table.

"What do you want to drink?" Eric asked her "no caffeine this late" he said

"Milk is fine" she said with a sigh

"Got it" he told her, grabbing two glasses from the cabinet and filling them with the last of her milk.

"I need to go to the store tomorrow" Sookie told him

"Why don't you go in early and go on the way home? That way you can get out early before traffic is bad and the store is swamped" Eric offered

"I might take you up on that" Sookie smiled at him.

"When is your appointment? I want to go with you" Eric told her

"I am going to call tomorrow and see if I can get in earlier, I'll let you know" Sookie told him taking a bite of her half of the sandwich.

Eric nodded and flipped on the TV then, finding the business channel and watching.

"Oh God" Sookie said with a laugh "Any more shocking news and I am baning TV from our home"

It wasn't long before they crawled into bed and fell asleep, wrapped around each other.

* * *

**AN: I just want to warn everyone before you start messaging me about this being predictable - just wait.**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Eric woke up suddenly Tuesday morning.

He kept his body still and moved his eyes around the bedroom, finding nothing out of place. Sookie was snuggled up behind him, both of them having moved to their sides in the middle of the night. Bella was curled beside Sookie at the corner of the bed near her head and looked at Eric when he lifted his head to look around.

He heard his phone vibrating from the kitchen then. "Shit" he said tossing the cover back and easing from the bed in an attempt to not wake Sookie.

Moving to the kitchen, he turned on the coffee pot and looked at his phone, he had several emails that had arrived through the night.

He noticed an email from an address that was unrecognizable, opening it he read

"Eric,

I hope you don't think that by having your lawyer attack me it means that I am going to go away. You have a responsibility to me and your baby.

Felicia"

With a sigh, Eric forwarded the email on to Damon asking him to call when he read it so they could discuss it.

Grabbing two mugs, he poured one for him and one for Sookie and walked back to the bedroom. Sookie was still on her side, her hair trailing behind her on the pillow.

Smiling Eric set the mugs down and pressed his lips to her cheek "Wake up Sleeping Beauty, its time to start the day" he said softly in her ear.

"No…more sleep….not time yet" Sookie mumbled, stuffing her head under a pillow.

Eric laughed at her action, "Get up" he said smacking her lightly on the behind "Its time" he laughed as he walked into the bathroom and turned on the water.

Stepping under the spray, Eric began to wake up a bit more and began thinking about the best way to handle the drama unfolding with Felicia. "Sookie" he called from the shower "I forgot we meet with the real estate agent today, why don't you call the doctor and see if they can squeeze us in tomorrow?"

Sookie opened one eye under the pillow her head was buried beneath, hearing what Eric said. "Shit" she said to herself. Unable to avoid it any longer, she sat up in bed and smiled at the coffee on her bedside table.

Taking a large sip, she walked to the bathroom and sat down on the commode "I forgot about the real estate agent today" she confessed, taking another sip, she set the cup down on the counter.

"How are we gonna get everything done?" she asked laughing, her head falling into her hands.

"Very carefully" Eric mumbled from the shower.

Sookie stood up then, and with a yawn pulled off her nightgown and got in the shower behind him. Wrapping her arms around his waist as he washed the soap off his face.

Eric smirked feeling her body press up against his, rubbing his back into her breasts. Sookie giggled as she felt him moving, knowing what he was doing. Pinching his butt, she pushed him slightly forward "I can get wet if you don't move" she said.

Eric smiled and turned to face her "I can get you wet little girl" he said huskily, pressing his lips to hers.

Sookie kissed him smiling, pulling away she spoke, "I asked for that I guess" turning her back to him, she let the water hit her head.

Eric watched her working her hair and took the chance to run his hands along her sides, coming to rest on her belly, "Mine" he said, pulling her into him gently.

Eric poured some shampoo into his hands and began working it through her hair, while she began working her scented body wash over her arms. Breathing in, Eric sighed "I like that one" he said

"Its Vanilla, my favorite" she said nodding at him

They managed to get through their shower quickly, Eric conditioning her hair after shampooing it. As they stood wrapped in towels drying each other off, Eric teased one of her nipples.

"Don't you start that" Sookie breathed "We don't have time, too much to do today" she whispered, when he leaned down and captured a nipple with his mouth.

"Mmmm" Eric moaned, his mouth vibrating as his hand reached up to cup her other breast.

"Eric, we need to go" she whispered, leaning her head back.

"Uh-huh" he said, his free hand traveling down.

"I need to get dressed" Sookie said, pulling at his hand trying to stop him "I'll meet you back here tonight though" she promised.

"We can do both" Eric propositioned

"We don't have time" Sookie laughed at him "But I'll make it worth your while" she offered, as Eric arched an eyebrow at her in surprise.

"OH?" he asked

"I'll meet you here tonight, and I won't say no" she looked at him pouting seductively

"You won't say no to what?" he asked

"Whatever you want" she told him

"Oh?" he asked intrigued

"Nope"

"Anything I want? I can tie you up and make you scream my name for hours?" he asked his blue eyes smoldering

"I won't say no as long as it doesn't hurt" Sookie promised, walking away while he was distracted in his thoughts.

She emerged from the closet a few minutes later, in a navy blue skirt and pale blue square neck sweater with three-quarter sleeves. Grabbing her black pumps, and setting them on the floor, she walked towards Eric who was standing in the bathroom brushing his hair. Pressing a kiss to her cheek, he walked to the closet while Sookie dried her hair and put on her make-up and jewelry.

"Why do you always wear fake pearls? Why not real ones?" Eric asked looking at her from the outside the closet.

"Because I love my real ones and I don't want anything to happen to them, I wear them for special occasions, if anything happens to these, I go to the mall and drop another $10 and get another strand and I don't cry" Sookie explained.

Eric laughed at her, shaking his head, as he fastened his cuff links. "I'll have to make sure to get you an everyday set, I don't like you in fake jewels" he said, pressing his lips to her forehead as he walked back towards the kitchen.

"I don't need jewels" Sookie said, slipping her shoes on as she followed him to the kitchen.

"I want you to have them" Eric said shrugging his shoulders "Two cars?" he asked changing the subject as he put his mug in the dishwasher.

"I think so" Sookie said grabbing her bag, keys and jacket "That way if I have to run out, I can"

They kissed at the door and walked up the stairs together. Eric followed behind her as they made their way to the office.

* * *

Sookie made it to the office before Eric, who got stuck at a stop light.

Once she arrived in Victor's office, she shut the door and called her doctors office, leaving a message and requesting an earlier appointment. She was surprised when she got a call back 10 minutes later.

"Sookie Stackhouse" she said answering her cell phone

"Ms Stackhouse, this is Linda from Dr. Brigant's office" the woman said "I just got in and got your request for an appointment today, and if you can be here by 8, I can make you the first appointment today"

"I can be there, its 7:30 now, I'm on the way" Sookie said grabbing her purse and walking out the door "I'll see you in just a few minutes" she said closing her phone as she got in the elevator.

She passed Eric in the parking lot, he was talking to the Vice President of Sales, John Morton. His eyes met Sookie's but he was unable to break away from the conversation without drawing attention, he just raised his eyebrow to her as she made a dash for her car.

Backing out of her spot, she waved over her shoulder at him as she drove off for the doctor's office. It was a short drive and Sookie was getting more anxious as she got closer. What she hadn't told Eric the night before was that she was convinced she was pregnant. She'd been unable to admit it to herself and was still to worried to think about telling him.

After driving around the building for a moment, she found a parking spot and ran in, she still had 5 minutes to spare as she signed in at the desk. Linda smiled at her and opened the door to bring her into the office and get her set up in an exam room.

Sookie's phone vibrated, she took a quick glance as she followed behind Linda, it was Eric,

"Where'd you go?" he asked

Sookie kept her phone in her hand, knowing she would have a moment to answer him after she was in the exam room.

Linda walked into a room and indicated the exam table for Sookie and shut the door behind her, with a smile she turned to Sookie as she took a seat on a small rolling chair and asked "Thank you for coming in so early!"

"Thank you for accommodating me!" Sookie replied

"What is the doctor going to be seeing you for?" Linda asked with a smile as she started to take Sookie's blood pressure.

"I was originally going to be requesting birth control, but I think now, I need to find out if I'm pregnant" Sookie said, blushing to the roots of her hair and looking at the floor.

Linda smiled at her "How exciting for you! Don't blush" she laughed "This is an Ob/Gyn office, we do babies" Linda told her

"I'm just engaged, and it was unexpected…" Sookie trailed off still staring at the floor.

Linda laughed again "Do you know how many unexpected's we have delivered over the years Ms. Stackhouse?"

"Oh, please call me Sookie" she told her smiling as she looked up

"Much better Sookie, if you are pregnant, I congratulate you child, its an exciting thing!" Linda said, squeezing her hand before noting her blood pressure on the chart. She took Sookie's temperature and smiled also writing it down and spoke "The doctor will be in, in just a moment, she is finishing up phone calls" Linda told her as she walked out and shut the door.

Sookie typed back to Eric,

"At Dr Office, 8am appointment today"

It was a moment later that he responded "Want me to meet you?" he asked

"I'll be back in a few, waiting in exam room now" she answered

"Do you want me there?" he typed back

"Yes, but its ok, almost time, I'll see you when I get back ILY" she typed back

"Address?" Eric typed

Sookie was typing back to him to not worry about it, when there was a knock on the door "Hello?" came a female voice

"Come in" Sookie answered

Dr. Claudia Brigant walked in then, her long dark hair pulled back in a pony tail, her green eyes bouncing with happiness.

"Linda told me you had to change your appointment" Dr Brigant said smiling "I think I know why" she smirked

"Ummmm" Sookie stammered

"Its alright Sookie, we can handle it here" Dr. Brigant told her "First, lets take some blood, then we'll do a pelvic and see what we see" she told her

"Ok" Sookie said, pushing up the sleeve of her sweater.

"Linda will be back in just a moment, while we are waiting, let me get some questions answered, when was your last menstrual period?" Dr. Brigant asked her as Sookie blushed again.

Linda walked in as the doctor and Sookie were talking. Once she was done drawing blood, Linda smiled and squeezed her hand. "It will take a few minutes" Linda told her "But we will know before you leave"

Sookie nodded as Dr. Brigant handed her a paper gown and a small paper blanket. "I think you know what to do with these, leave the gown open in front and I'll do a breast exam while we are at it. I'll be back in a few minutes" she said squeezing Sookie's shoulder reassuringly.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Linda walked in as the doctor and Sookie were talking. Once she was done drawing blood, Linda smiled and squeezed her hand. "It will take a few minutes" Linda told her "But we will know before you leave"

Sookie nodded as Dr. Brigant handed her a paper gown and a small paper blanket. "I think you know what to do with these, leave the gown open in front and I'll do a breast exam while we are at it. I'll be back in a few minutes" she said squeezing Sookie's shoulder reassuringly.

Eric waited for Sookie to reply to his text with the address, and he waited, after 15 minutes, he got up and went to her office, sitting at her laptop, he went through her contacts til he found her doctors name.

Dr. Claudine Brigant, Ob/Gyn, writing down the address Eric ran out of her office and down the stairs. He knew if he took the elevator he would get stuck again. Getting into his car, he typed the address into his GPS and took off.

His mind was racing as he followed the directions _'Sookie might be pregnant'_ he thought to _himself 'Pregnant…with a baby….oh shit…..a baby…..Sookie and I…..parents?...I am gonna be a Dad'_ he thought as a smile broke out on his face. _'I'll be a Dad'_ he thought proudly. _'A boy or a girl' _he thought, his mind racing again, thoughts of Sookie round with their child in her belly, making him laugh. The thought of them raising a family, what it would sound like when he came home from work, little feet racing around a house, the laughter, the giggles of an infants belly laugh.

Eric glanced at his phone, _'No messages'_ he thought, knowing Sookie was probably nervous and stressing herself out. Pulling into the parking lot, he found her car easily and pulled in next to it. Running into the building, he found the doctors office and sat down, waiting, staring at the door.

* * *

Linda saw him when he walked in. Out of breath, his eyes racing around the empty waiting room. Sliding the glass back, she leaned forward and spoke "Waiting for Sookie?" she smiled.

Eric jumped at the sound of her voice, smiling, he nodded to her.

Linda resisted the urge to giggle at his deer in headlights stare "She'll be out in a moment, Dr. Brigant is with her now, they are doing the exam" she told him "I'll let her know you are here"

* * *

Felicia sat at the table with her father, waiting impatiently for him to get off the phone.

"Felicia, I don't understand your problem" he told her "Just go to the doctor and get the test done with" he said, taking a bite of his salad.

"I don't understand why this is necessary" she explained "Its his, case closed"

"Felicia….I love you…but I will not force a man's hand unless I know it needs to be done….Eric Northman is not just anyone dearest….he is a force to be reckoned with on his own….he owns that company of his…not to mention half of our companies as well….it would have been very nice indeed if you had managed to secure him for yourself" he said, rubbing his hand on his forehead.

"Daddy…I am pregnant and its Eric's…he isn't doing the right thing…I just need you to convince him to" she whined beside him.

"Take the test Felicia" he said sternly "Now, lets discuss something else while we are at the table" he told her.

It was an hour later that Felicia walked into the office of Dr. Nicholas McCormick. He was recommended to her by her father. After filling out the necessary paperwork she was led into an exam room and told to disrobe. The nurse was very formal, handing her a paper gown and paper drape.

Dr. McCormick walked in, and after exchanging pleasantries got down to business.

"Felicia, your father told me that you need to diagnose a pregnancy and we need to perform a CVS, which might be able to determine paternity" he explained

"What is a CVS?" Felicia asked somewhat frightened

"It is a basic test, and it has some risk, but I prefer it to Amniocentesis, we will basically take a swab of the matter from the placental sac inside you" he explained.

"Will it hurt?" she asked

"We will have you under partial sedation and you might experience some discomfort later, but Tylenol will help" he advised

Felicia swallowed quietly "Alright" she whispered

"So to begin, we'll get your blood to test and confirm the pregnancy and go from there" he told her.

* * *

Amelia finished packing Eric's office, sealing the last box with a sigh. Signing off with the moving company, she finished the box count and looked around at the empty room.

Grabbing her keys, she walked out to her car.

"Office done, home next" she said climbing in.

She'd been packing for what felt like days. His office had taken 2 days to pack, his house was another story. Not everything was going. He'd told her he was keeping the house for now, that she just needed to close it up for the time being, after she had packed the things he wanted to take and covered the furniture that would be staying.

It was almost a 40 minute drive to his house from the office. Entering the alarm code after she walked in, Amelia started in on his closet. It was almost finished anyway, an hour later and 3 boxes down she was done. Attaching the colored sticker to it for the movers, she moved into the kitchen. There wasn't much to pack there. Most of it was staying.

Her cell phone rang a bit later racing for it she managed to answer before it went to voice mail.

"Hey bossman" she said breathlessly

"Amelia!" Eric greeted "When are you scheduled to fly out here?"

"I've not made the arrangements yet, but I was thinking if not next week, the week after" she told him "Is everything ok?"

"Uh…yeah…everything is fine…just fine…but if I needed you earlier, you could be here right?" Eric asked hesitatingly.

"Yes…Eric…what is going on?" Amelia asked

"I asked Sookie to marry me" Eric said

"WHAT?" Amelia shouted into the phone.

"Yeah…and right now….well…its just a bit crazy… I might need you earlier" Eric said

"You're supposed to be with the real estate agent, what is going on?" Amelia asked.

* * *

**AN: Before anyone's head blows off their shoulders...I am not sure if the CVS can be used for paternity uses, but we are going to act like it is. Its a story, get over it. If you don't like it...don't read.**

**Beyond that, smooches to everyone, and keep the reviews coming :) :)**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Amelia closed her phone in shock. The knock of the door, brought her back to reality.

Opening the door she was face to face with an attractive red head woman, the move coordinator, and a group of men dressed in uniforms.

"Hi, Amelia?" Angie said stepping forward with her hand

"Yes, you must be Angie, so nice to meet you" Amelia said smiling and shaking the girls hand. "Angie, we've had a change in plans" Amelia told her "I was originally going to be here at least another week, but it seems that I am going to be leaving in a couple of days" Amelia paused "I'm not exactly sure what to do" she laughed, running her hands through her hair.

"Well, I can have the guys here finish any packing for this residence that is needed" Angie told her "Aren't you supposed to be relocating as well?" she asked

Amelia nodded "Alright, how about tomorrow, I meet you at your home, and you can show me what needs to go. Once I know that, I can get a crew together to pack it up and we can move both residences at one time. Using one truck will save on the cost overall" she offered.

Amelia sighed then "WOW!" she laughed "That is perfect" she told Angie "Let me give you my address" she started writing it down on a sheet of paper handing it to the red head "How about 10 am? I have to call the airline tonight to see if I can fly out tomorrow" she told her.

"I'll see you then" Angie nodded as they began walking through the house so that Amelia could give her the instructions. She drove home in a daze, managing to pack enough clothes to last 2 weeks along with her toiletries. She booked a flight leaving the next day at 3 pm. Eric had agreed to pick her up at the airport when her plane arrived that night, she was going to be staying in his apartment since he'd all but moved in with Sookie.

Eric sat in the waiting room, anxiously for another 15 minutes. Linda ended up opening the door for him to lead him back to the exam room, where he found Sookie sitting on an exam room table, still dressed in her paper gown.

Sookie was pale, staring at the floor when he walked through the door. Eric immediately stepped towards her "Sookie, you look horrible, talk to me" he said quietly.

"I'm….I….I'm scared" she whispered, her eyes rising to his "I thought I didn't want to have a baby this soon, but being here, thinking it through, I do. But Eric…I don't want to trap you. I don't want you to feel obligated"

"Are you pregnant Sookie?" he whispered "No matter what, Sookie, I love you, I'll always love you" he cradled her face in his hands "We are forever" he told her pressing his lips to hers.

"You won't be upset if I am?" Sookie asked, her eyes staring into his

"Not at all lover, I look forward to you growing with our baby" he told her, his hand pressing lightly against her flat belly.

They heard the knock on the door just before Dr. Brigant walked in. Noticing Eric she smiled, "You must be Mr. Northman" she said holding out her hand "I'm Dr. Claudine Brigant" she said

"Nice to meet you" Eric said shaking her hand

"I believe I have some news for you both" she said smiling at them

* * *

Felicia sat on the table staring angrily at Dr. McCormick.

"What do you mean negative?" she almost yelled

"I mean negative, your blood test was negative. That means you are not pregnant ma'am" he told her.

"My home test said yes" she exclaimed "how does this happen?"

"I'm not sure ma'am, but your blood test shows conclusively, you are not pregnant" he told her.

Felicia grabbed her purse and stormed out of the office. Her mind scrambling, as she flopped into her limo, Dr. McCormick was no doubt called Damon Catalides as she rode back to the hotel.

Her phone was in fact ringing as she walked through the door to her suite.

"Mrs Manes" Eric's lawyer spoke pleasantly "It seems that you had a mix up of some sort. I've already spoken to Eric about it. He is perfectly willing to ignore this nasty mess, as long as you leave him and his fiancée alone. His desire is for you to not have any contact with him or her in exchange for his approval to dismiss all charges against you" the lawyer was practically purring.

"Of course" Felicia said quietly.

"Wonderful, I'll send the paperwork to your attorney and once signed, we'll go before the judge to dismiss the charges"

* * *

Sookie squeezed Eric's hand as Dr. Brigant stared at both of them.

"Alright" Sookie said quietly, her heart filling with hope.

"Right now, your hormone levels in your blood are spiking, that typically means you are pregnant. My concern is that they are not as high as they should be. Stress could be a factor in that, so I want you to take the next three days off and do nothing" Dr Brigant told her, her gaze holding both of them. "Mr. Northman, that means no stress, I want her calm and in bed as much as possible, sleep, relax whatever you want, no lifting, no running, limited exercise"

Eric blinked for a minute opening his mouth to speak, Sookie beat him to it "I'm sorry Doctor, but am I pregnant?" she asked timidly.

"According to your blood levels, yes, BUT, you are at risk right now Sookie, I can't tell if you are going to keep it, or if you are going to miscarry. You need to take it easy for a few days so we can retest your blood and decide next steps from there" Dr. Brigant told them both.

"We were supposed to look at homes today, should I reschedule?" Eric asked "I don't want to stress her, but I am just not sure what is and isn't allowed" he explained

"Walking through homes is fine, walking is fine. Running is not, no horseback riding, no crazy sexual positions, keep it tame" she explained "and try to stay off your feet. Walking for an hour is fine but try to take short breaks and sit when you can, no standing in one spot for more than 15 minutes, I just want you relaxed as much as possible, if watching the news stresses you, don't do it, don't turn on the tv. Keep hot baths to a minimum, no hot tubs, warm baths are ok, warm showers are ok"

"Sex?" Eric asked

"Is alright, as long as its not crazy, keep the kama sutra tantric positions for another time" Dr Brigant grinned at the couple, "I'll see you back here in 3 days. We will decide then if you can return to work, after we retest your hormone levels."

Sookie spoke then "I might lose the baby?" she asked, her eyes filling with tears

"Sookie, you are early in your pregnancy. I won't lie, it is possible, but I can't determine what is going on until we get you retested. I know that doesn't help, but that is the best I can do right now. Your hormone levels are up, which means yes pregnancy, but they aren't up as high as I am comfortable with. It maybe that you are just not as far along as you thought, or it might mean something else, but right now, until more time has passed, I just don't know" she explained "So go home, relax, and I'll see you on Friday morning. How does 8am work for you?" Dr Brigant asked

"We'll make it work" Eric informed her, squeezing Sookie's hand.

"Good, I'll see you then and call if you need anything. Sookie, if you see any blood call immediately" she advised before walking out of the room.

Sookie sat on the exam table for a moment, blinking. "I'm pregnant" she whispered to Eric.

Eric smiled at her, hugging her "I know" he said grinning from ear to ear

"We're having a baby" Sookie said, blinking

"Let's get you dressed and home Sookie, you are not going back to the office, I want you home and in bed" he told her as she started to pull her skirt on.

Sookie nodded, still in shock from the news. "What about my car?" she asked

"I'll follow you home and get you settled" Eric informed her "then go back to the office and I'll bring your things home when I come home" he told her as he gave her her sweater.

Sookie nodded stepping into her shoes. Opening the door, she saw Linda in the hallway "We'll see you both on Friday" Linda said smiling at the couple happily "and congratulations" she whispered.

Eric grinned and nodded, taking Sookie's hand and walking towards the door leading out of the office.

After getting Sookie settled in her car, Eric climbed into his and followed her back to the apartment.

Sookie didn't turn on the radio as she drove, her thoughts racing with excitement "A baby" she said her hand touching her tummy. "We're gonna have a baby" she said as she started smiling, hope filling her heart as she drove.

She jumped out of the car after she pulled into the garage, running to Eric's arms "Eric, we are gonna have a baby" she said smiling excitedly.

"I know" he told her warmly, hugging her to him.

* * *

**AN: Happy now everyone? :) :) :)**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Eric was in the office long enough to grab both his and Sookie's laptops, and check in with Cheryl.

"I'll be working from home the rest of the day" he told her as he locked his office, "If you need me call my cell. Sookie is on bedrest for the next 3 days, but I don't want that getting out either, if anyone needs her have them send her an email." He said walking down the hall.

He stopped at the grocery store on the way back to the apartment and got some necessary items, lunch and was walking through the door of the apartment to find Sookie on the phone with Lafayette. She was in bed, with her daytimer open.

"Send me an email Laff and I'll look at it tonight. I'll try to respond before tomorrow and we'll figure out what to do" she said into the phone, winking at Eric mouthing "I love you" at him as he walked through the door to the bedroom.

Sookie had changed into a pair of leggings and a tshirt. Her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, she looked all of 16. Eric smiled as he walked to the closet and took off his suit, hanging it up, and pulled on a pair of blue jeans and a blue tshirt.

Sookie shut her phone as he walked back into the bedroom "I love you too" he said to her, smiling as he laid down beside her on the bed "I don't think taking it easy means using your cell phone to work though Sookie" he told her

"I know, but it was on Lafayette and I'll try to look at his email tonight, but if not, I'll do it tomorrow, I think an hour from bed will be enough to not let the world fall and keep me relaxed and still plugged in" she told her, laying her head in the middle of his chest.

"I got groceries and a big salad for lunch" he told her, running his hand up her arm softly.

"Good, I'm hungry" she told him smiling

"Good" he said pressing a kiss to her head as he pulled himself out of bed to fix their lunch

"Do you want tea?" he yelled from the kitchen

"Please" Sookie yelled back

"Which dressing?" he asked

"The honey mustard, its in the door" Sookie answered

Eric set everything on a tray and carried it into the bedroom.

"I hate daytime TV" she said as he set the tray on the bed.

"I know but I am sure we can find something to keep you relaxed for the next 3 days Sookie" he told her, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Really?" Sookie asked her eyes full of false innocence

"I didn't put your dressing, I figure you would want to control how much or how little" he said handing her a bowl and her dressing

After eating and flipping channels for a while, Eric flipped to the movie channels, still trying to find something for them to watch, when he noticed Sookie was quiet, snuggled in beside him.

Looking down he found her asleep. They still had a couple of hours before they needed to get ready for the real estate agent, so he let her sleep while he started a movie.

His hand wrapped around her waist, rubbing her belly softly as his mind started drifting. Thinking about the future, their wedding, their baby Eric took a deep breath as a calm started to pour over him. He'd never thought about his future with someone and now, he couldn't think of the future without Sookie in it. He found himself wanting more than one child, he wanted to come home to children in his house, a family, with Sookie.

He started dozing, without realizing it. It was a shock when he looked at the clock near the bed and saw it was 2:15. They were supposed to meet the real estate agent at 3.

Shaking Sookie gently, he spoke "Sookie…Sookie we have to go, its 2:15"

"Just a minute more" Sookie mumbled as Eric rolled off the bed. Sookie snuggled into the bed for a moment before opening her eyes "uuuugggghh" she moaned as Eric laughed from the bathroom.

"I'm just going to slip some shoes on" he told her as he dried off his face.

"I should change" Sookie mumbled, looking at her leggings and tshirt

"You look fine" Eric told her "We are just looking at houses, slide some shoes on, and we'll go"

"You think?" Sookie asked "I'm comfortable, but I look a mess" she said to him

"You look beautiful, lover" he told her with a smile

Sookie slid her feet into a pair of shoes and made her way to the bathroom. After taking care of her business, she washed her hands and touched up her make up.

"I'm as ready as I'm gonna be" Sookie announced as she grabbed her purse and met Eric at the door.

They made their way upstairs and to his garage. They made the 20 minute drive to the first house to meet the real estate agent. After walking around the home for 10 minutes, Sookie knew she didn't like it.

Eric was watching Sookie as she looked around lacking her normal warmth. They moved around the first floor, looking at the living space when Sookie met his gaze and shook her head no.

Turning to the real estate agent, Eric spoke,

"I think we can move on to the next one, this isn't working for either of us" he said

Candace smiled and gave Eric directions to the next property as they exited the house and climbed into their cars. Sookie sighed quietly as she sat down, rubbing her eyes gently.

"Are you alright Sookie? We can reschedule if necessary, I don't mind" Eric said watching her take a sip of the bottled water he had in the car.

"I'm good, just tired" she smiled at him "I feel like I could sleep for days, its not you" she said

They continued on to the next house and Eric noticed the spark of interest in Sookie's eyes as they drove up the long driveway. It was a large 3 level stone mansion. As they came to a stop behind Candace, Sookie stepped out of the car looking at the house. Candace, seeing Sookie's interest, quickly walked to the front door, opening it, she stepped back allowing Eric and Sookie to step inside first.

Eric smiled as he stepped inside, turning to look behind him to see Sookie's expression. Sookie stepped inside, seeing hardwood floors and a large staircase in front of her. Walking forward, the foyer opened into a large dining room with a kitchen to the right. To the left was a small sitting room with a solarium immediately behind. In front of her beside the stairs was a hallway opening to a large living room with fireplace. Behind the stairs was a full bathroom and a small bedroom.

Sookie walked towards the kitchen, which was full of Viking appliances and she stopped, her eyes wide as she looked around, a large smile on her face.

Eric stepped towards Candace, knowing he'd found their home as Sookie walked up a set of stairs from the kitchen. He heard her walking around while he negotiated a contract price until he heard her call him.

"Eric" she said

With a nod to Candace, who had opened her phone to contact the listing agent, Eric walked up the front stairs, looking around found Sookie in the master suite. Sookie was standing in front of a window looking out the back of the property, surrounded by woods. Stepping behind her, Eric wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Do you like it?" he asked softly

"I love it, but its entirely to expensive" Sookie said looking around, the master suite had a large bedroom, leading into a small sitting room with a fireplace that split off to a double sided closet and large bathroom.

"No its not, I'll deal with the price, you just worry about making it a home, as long as you like it" Eric said snuggly into her.

"I love it, but we can find a smaller house this is huge, it sits on almost 3 acres and land here isn't cheap" she said

"Nope, I want this one, how many bedrooms are up here?" he asked

Turning to face him, Sookie looked up "4 including this room, 1 on the main level and 3 possible bedrooms all the way down" she told him

"Do you think we can fill 8 bedrooms?" Eric asked grinning, his large hand moving down her side to cup her bottom and pull her closer to him.

"Stop that" Sookie said grinning at him "I need to sit for a minute" she said walking towards the bathroom to perch on the edge of the bathtub.

Eric watched her walk away, concern written clearly on his face "Are you alright?"

Sookie nodded "I just got winded for a moment" she said, smiling at him, taking a few deep breaths.

Eric paused for a moment, looking around at the double vanity's one on each end of the bathroom. Smiling he opened the enclosed shower "Big enough for 4 or 5" he smirked.

Giggling Sookie replied "The way you seem to be thinking, I'll be pregnant constantly, so that is a good thing"

"I don't know about constantly" Eric said glancing over his shoulder smugly "I have to let at least 2 maybe 3 months go between delivery and pregnancy right?"

"If I could smack you, you know I would right?" Sookie replied, her eyes narrowing

"Why? You don't want a house full of children?"

"I don't want to put my body through that, you big ox"

"How about we act like that is our goal?" Eric asked wiggling his eyebrows at her

"Mr. Northman?" Candace called from the door of the bedroom

"In here" Eric answered, unwilling to leave Sookie alone

"I just got off the phone with the listing agent, he is going to give the verbal offer to the owner, we should know the answer before I get back to my office. Did you want to see any other properties?"

Sookie shook her head no as Eric looked at her "No, I think we'll wait to hear about this one" he replied with a smile. Walking over to Sookie he held his hand out to help her up as Candace left the bathroom. After helping Sookie to her feet, he followed behind her as they left the home, Sookie going immediately to the car to sit down again while Eric finished with Candace.

Climbing back in the car, he squeezed Sookie's hand as he pulled away from the house.

"You sure you're alright?" he asked, his eyes darting between her and the road as he drove.

"I'm tired is all" Sookie said smiling "I think the past few weeks have been catching up to me"

"What do you want for dinner?" he asked

"How about we visit Tony?" Sookie smiled, indicating her favorite restaurant around the corner from the apartment.

Smiling Eric said "Whatever my princess wants" he grabbed her hand in his and brought it to his mouth as he drove.

It was 20 minutes later that they were pulling up in front of the restaurant. Walking into the restaurant, Sookie greeted Tony and made her way to the rest room.

Eric sat at the table he knew she preferred, she'd told him on his first visit with her, and ordered ice tea for her and a beer for himself. Noticing some time had passed he began to get concerned, and was on the way to the ladies room to check on Sookie when she walked out the door towards him. Noticeably paler.

"Whats wrong?" Eric demanded

"I got sick" she said quietly, smoothing her hair as she blushed

"Sick?" Eric asked not understanding, his hands stopping her as she tried to walk by

"I threw up" Sookie whispered, her face titled down

"Do we need to go home?" Eric said quickly

"No….I'm starving" she replied, her face bright red at this point.

"Oh" Eric said, smirking as he followed Sookie back to the table. They sat in silence until Tony took their order. Eric grinned as Sookie ordered a chicken pot pie and side salad.

"Don't say a word" she told him, "I'm hungry"

Eric grinned from ear to ear "I'm not, I'm happy you want to eat a chicken pot pie when last week you could only split one with me"

"I think the hormone levels are rising" Sookie said smiling "I can't believe I got sick in a public restroom and then walked out to eat my weight in food"

"I think that is normal princess" he told her smiling

Their food arrived then, Eric had to stop himself from laughing as Sookie attached her food with gusto.

"I need to tell Pam" Eric said, smiling as she slowed down "I want you to be with me when I do, I was thinking we could meet her for dinner? After the doctor clears you of course"

Sookie set her fork down then "Are you sure? I will totally understand if you don't want to get married Eric, we didn't exactly plan things to happen like this" she said, her hands twisting in her lap as her stomach started churning.

"Sookie…I want to marry you" Eric said anger making its way into his quiet tone "Just because life has decided we do things differently, doesn't mean I want to marry you any less. I am thrilled that we are having a baby princess. I want nothing more than for us to have a house full of children"

"I don't to trap you Eric" Sookie said quietly, unable to meet his gaze

"Why aren't you listening to me Sookie Stackhouse?" Eric demanded "I've already told you I want this….Are you trying to tell me you don't? Is that what this is all about?"

"NO!" Sookie said her gaze finally rising to his, her blue eyes large and troubled "But Eric, after Felicia and all the drama, I just don't want you to feel like you have to do something you don't want to" she tried to explain

"Sookie, I want you, I want our children, I want our life together. If you want to run off to Vegas and elope, we can do that right after you are off bed rest, but Sookie I can't take your doubt of me anymore. You decide right now, do you want this or not?" Eric said, setting his fork down beside his plate.

"Of course I want this Eric, I'm scared" she told him, her heart pounding in her ears.

"Why don't we get through dinner and discuss this at home?" Eric offered, his face softening with her words "I want you to get food in you, after all you could be starving my son" he joked at her in an effort to lighten the mood.

With a nod, Sookie picked up her fork and munched on her salad. They began discussing the office, and the latest bid/no bid meeting that was happening while Sookie was still out of the office.

"I think you should no bid it Eric, I've talked to folks, the company that is Prime on the contract…its going under, so they will likely try to outsource and double the price, its not good." She said shaking her head "We would risk too much money, with no guarantee on return, and to add to it, the VP in charge of the deal is going to lie" she told him, her gaze hard as she held his "He is trying to hold on to his job. If he doesn't bring a deal in soon, they will let him go, and to be honest, he doesn't perform, he should be let go. I've been wondering if he isn't working for another company while working for us, and I don't mean he took a second job type either, I've had suspicions about corporate espionage. He tried to hover around me and Victor too much for my comfort" she told him.

Tony came over then to clear their plates, Sookie had finished both her pot pie and her salad, "Would you like anything else?" Tony asked with a smile

"I want the beignets" Sookie said blushing

"I love it, you never get dessert" Tony said with a laugh "How many?"

"5" Sookie replied "The large order with the caramel sauce" she begged

"You got it" Tony said smiling as he walked off

"Hungry much?" Eric smirked as Sookie threw her napkin at him.

"Shut it – I don't know why, but I am salivating at the thought of the damn pastries"

"I don't think we have to worry about your hormone levels" Eric smiled

"You need to-" Sookie stopped as Tony approached with the little pastries, setting them between her and Eric.

As the server left, Sookie, popped one of the pastries into the sauce and took a bite. Her eyes rolling into the back of her head as she moaned quietly, causing Eric to shift in his chair as he watched her.

"I need to call Amelia" he told her as he opened his phone.

It didn't take long for him to fill Amelia in on the change of events and request her to fly out immediately.

"You can stay in my apartment, its above Sookie's" Eric said into the phone

"Alright Eric, let me finish with the movers at your place and I'll get mine done. I'll call the airline on the way to see when I can get a flight out. I'll email the itinerary to you, can you pick me up at the airport?" she asked

"Absolutely" Eric told her, "I'll bring Sookie, that way you two can meet before the office"

They spoke a few more minutes and got off the phone. Eric smiled as Sookie held out one of the tarts for him.

"I don't get any caramel?" he asked arching an eyebrow at her

Sookie turned a deep shade of red "I ate it all" she said quietly.

With a laugh, Eric stretched forward, taking the tart between her fingers into his mouth. Sookie gasped as his tongue wrapped around her finger.

"We should go home" she whispered desperately, as she felt her stomach tighten and a tingling from between her legs.

Eric arched his eyebrow at her words, and dropped a credit card on the table. He was still chewing when Tony grabbed it a moment later.

Sookie's foot stretched out under the table, moving up his leg, curling briefly in the back of his knee cap as her eyes locked on his.

Eric swallowed and cleared his throat, his only indication of her affect on his, as Tony set the receipts down in front of him. He turned his attention to signing and adding a tip as her foot found its mark. Her toes following the seam of his jeans up to the zipper as she moved down again.

Eric smirked as he ground himself gently against her foot, causing a slight moan to escape from Sookie as she looked around to make sure nobody was watching them.

"Ready?" Eric asked as he tucked his card into his wallet.

"I think so" she replied, dropping her foot and sliding her shoe on as they stood up from the table.

The couple made their way out the door, and to the car silently, as Eric opened her door and shut it before making his way to the drivers side.

Turning on the radio, they made the 4 minute drive in silence. It wasn't until he had backed into his garage and Sookie was out of the car that he said anything "Sookie" he said before his lips crashed into hers, pressing her gently against the side of the car. His lips moving down her jaw to her throat.

"Eric" she moaned, her hands running through his hair, as his hands pushed her up on to the trunk, her knees locking his hips.

* * *

Felicia sat in her car, watching the apartment building. She saw the couple leave at 2:30 and she waited. Her anger growing as the hours passed.

She saw his car back into his garage. It was a few minutes before she saw them emerge, and her jealousy grew as her mind started wandering, focusing on what they were doing in the garage.

Felicia was gripping the steering wheel as she saw Sookie and Eric in the hallway, Eric was carrying her. Her hands were running through his hair and they were kissing. They didn't stop until they passed his apartment and reached the stairs.

Felicia watched as they made their way down the stairs. She waited another two minutes and opened her phone.

"I'm going to need help" she said quietly "I need someone to disappear"

* * *

AN: Sorry for the delay in posting everyone! Real life got in the way - I may be a bit sporadic for the next week BUT I double promise pinky swear it will get better and we should be back on schedule in a couple of weeks AND Sammicakes says hi to everyone out there ya'll :) :)

Smooches and much love :) :)


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Eric layed Sookie down on the bed, smiling he walked back to the front door, making sure to lock it. The entire time he'd carried Sookie down the stairs he'd felt like he was being watched and it bugged him.

Returning to the bedroom, he saw Sookie had changed into a nightshirt and crawled back into bed and turned on the TV. Walking to the closet, Eric changed into his pajama pants and quickly crawled into bed beside her, pulling her close.

Sookie layed her head down in the middle of his chest, as she curled into his side, her hand resting on his stomach. She felt him take a deep breath and let it out, raising her eyes to his "Something wrong?" she asked

"Not at all" he answered smiling down at her "I am happy at how comfortable this feels" he explained "I've spent a large amount of time keeping everyone at arms length…its nice to have you curled up next to me, our baby growing inside of you"

"I like it too" Sookie said, rubbing her hand up and down his well chiseled stomach.

"Careful" he warned with a grin "I may start shaking my leg"

"At least you're MY puppy" she grinned back at him, stretching upward to press her lips to his.

They both poured their emotions into the kiss, and were grinning at each other as they settled back into place, Sookie laying her head in his chest once again as Eric began to flip channels.

She started dozing and was asleep within minutes as Eric turned on the business channel, anxious to see if anything about the merger was in the news. They were down to the last 30 days until the companies were one and after Felicia's announcement, he was worried about any impact it might have on the company over all.

After watching the stock briefing, Eric felt his eyes getting heavy. Switching off the TV, he stayed still enjoying the feel of Sookie pressed up against him as he drifted off to sleep.

Eric woke the next morning before the alarm. He'd set his cell phone alarm the night before, hoping it wouldn't wake Sookie like her normal alarm clock would. Resting for a moment, he breathed in her sweet scent, both of them having moved around in the night, he was spooned behind her. Her neck bare to him, he pressed a gentle kiss to it before pulling himself up and getting in the shower.

He managed to complete his tasks and get into a suit in less than 30 minutes, and without waking Sookie. Walking into the kitchen, he poured himself a travel mug of coffee and after grabbing his things locked the door behind him quietly.

His drive to the office was quiet, as he listened to music on his ipod. He noticed how odd it felt to pull into the garage and not see Sookie's car. He also noticed it was odd being in his office, knowing she was not going to be walking down the hall or sitting in the office next to him.

He poured through emails, and sat through an investor conference call providing details on the close out of the merger and got an update on the profit margins of both companies. The positive news was that the merger was not affecting either company badly. He made a few decisions on operating systems for the companies, choosing to switch them both to one system and forcing some stream lining. It was after lunch time when he had a chance to notice the time.

Calling Pam on her cell he briefly invited her to lunch on Saturday. Informing her that he and Sookie had some news for her and that he would email a location for them to meet before Friday.

His phone beeped not long after he hung up, informing him he had a text message.

"Its lonely without you here" it read…it was from Sookie

"Please tell me you are being a good girl and staying in bed" he replied

"Yes….and you should be here too"

"I'll be there soon…what do you want me to bring you for dinner?"

"Pot pie and beignets" she replied

Eric laughed at the response and the speed at the delivery "Got it…anything else for my princess?"

"You…here…naked…."

Eric growled then. Shaking his head to clear his mind and focus on returning emails. It was 20 minutes later that he gave up. Walking out of his office, he shut the door behind him, nodding to Cheryl as he walked out.

"I have a client meeting, call my cell if you need me" he said before walking down the hall. He got to his car with no interruptions and was on his way home. Smiling, he pulled into his garage and climbed out of his car. He was pulling off his tie and unbuttoning his shirt as he walked through the door to the apartment.

"Eric?" Sookie called from the bedroom when she heard the door open and close. He appeared in the doorway, his shirt unbuttoned, his trousers open, his jacket in his hand a moment later.

He growled when he found her in bed, her nightgown pulled up around her thighs, the covers tossed across the bed. Dropping his clothes as he walked towards her, he pressed his lips to hers and climbed onto the bed.

They said nothing as his hands pulled up her gown and her hands pushed his boxers off him, they both groaned as bare skin pressed onto bare skin. His kisses moved down her neck to her breasts, as he moved between them, taking her nipples into his mouth, working them to hard nubs, as she writhed under him.

Her hands were running across the muscles of his back. Grabbing his butt as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She felt his hardness pressing into her leg. Reaching with her hand, she flanked his side in an attempt to touch him as he moved quickly, pressing himself into the bed.

He moved down her body with his kisses.

"You" kiss

"distracted" kiss

"me" kiss

"Sookie" kiss

"I was trying" lick kiss

"to work" lick kiss

As he reached the tender flesh between her stomach and legs, he licked as he kissed causing her to move, attempting to direct his tongue to where she needed it most.

"Not" kiss

"yet" kiss

"you" lick kiss

"have been a" kiss

"VERY" lick lick

"naughty girl" kiss lick kiss

Sookie moaned, her hand cupping his cheek as she moved her fingers to his hair. Her nails digging into his scalp as she pressed herself to him.

"Eric" she moaned, her head thrown back on the pillow

Eric kissed his way down a leg and back up again, switching to the other leg he avoided the apex between. Sookie was almost crying with desire, "Please Eric" she begged.

Smirking into her skin, Eric paused licking behind her knee "Please what?" he said before pressing another kiss to her leg. He was moving up her thigh at that point.

"Please, I need you…so bad" she whispered, his hands working her nipples.

"Need what lover?"

"Eric" she begged, as he licked the skin joining her leg to her body, his fingers grazing her golden curls without touching them.

"Say it Sookie, tell me exactly what you want lover, tell me how to please you" he told her, his eyes holding her locked in his gaze.

"I want to cum….Eric….make me cum please" she begged, finding the words still embarrassing but not as embarrassing as before.

Eric smiled at her then "My pleasure" he said, letting his thumbs open her. He gently blew across her moist parts, causing Sookie to move under him. He moved his head to the heat of his tongue was hovering above her, smiling as he watched her chest heave with anticipation.

"Eric" she begged just before his tongue touched her. "YESSSS" she hissed, her hands flying to her face, running threw her own hair and she moved her head back and forth on the pillow mad with want.

He licked her gently at first, avoiding the nub that stood waiting for his attention. He licked around it, holding her still as he did so, sliding a finger then two into her. He felt her clenching around his fingers, as he curled them inside of her, Sookie was near hysteria by that point.

"Like that do you?" he asked as she cried out

He worked her with his fingers for a few moments, watching her move in pleasure on the bed.

"Please….Eric…your tongue….Please"

Lowering his head, he gave her what she had been begging for, his tongue moving over her nub slowly at first, increasing with pressure and speed as he pumped and curled his fingers inside her.

Sookie was climbing higher and higher as he sucked on her, it wasn't until he gently nibbled her with his teeth that she exploded, his name on her lips as she did so, her legs clutching him close as she rode out her orgasm, tears falling from her eyes as she did.

Finally releasing her hold on him, she felt the air move as he moved up her body and slid his rigid erection into her. She was shocked at how full, how complete she felt with him inside her.

"Oh Eric" she moaned "You feel so good inside me"

"Sookie" he said, lowering his head to a nipple as he sucked it into his warm mouth, causing her to arch her back, taking him deeper into her. He was riding her gently, not wanting to press on her too much at this time, but filling her none the less.

His hips increased their speed as he found his rhythm. His breathing became more ragged "Soooookie" he moaned breathlessly "Cum for me baby, give it to me again" he said, his hand moving between them as he moved his thumb over her clit.

Eric felt her core clenching him moments later, her body rigid as she cried out her pleasure. Her walls pulled his orgasm from him as he flung his head back, crying out as he released inside her.

* * *

Eric left Sookie sleeping in bed when he went to pick Amelia up from the airport.

She'd called him when she landed and they had coordinated on a pick up location at the "Arrivals" area. Amelia had 3 large bags with her and was smiling as he pulled up.

"A baby? Engaged?" she said when she saw him, after they shared a brief hug "Who are you and where is the real Eric 'no commitment' Northman" she teased as he loaded her luggage into his trunk.

"Brat" he replied, opening her door for her to climb in his car as he made his way around to the driver side.

"I can't wait to meet her" Amelia said

"How about over dinner? She is on bedrest right now, and I have to stop on the way back to pick up food, you could join us while we eat. It will give you a chance to meet each other" Eric offered

"Sure" Amelia said smiling "I am happy for you though, seriously" she said

"Thank you" he replied as they pulled away

"So…how bad is the traffic?" she asked looking around

They arrived at the restaurant 20 minutes later, sitting in the bar waiting for the order Eric had called in a few minutes before. He smiled as his phone rang

"Did you have a good nap my Princess?" he almost purred into the phone

"I did" Sookie said smiling "And I'm starving"

"But…I just gave it to you Sookie, twice…I thought that was enough" he responded with an evil grin as Amelia rolled her eyes and started talking to Tony.

"I was talking about for food" Sookie answered with a giggle in her voice.

"Oh…well in that case, I am sitting in the bar with Amelia waiting for our order, she is joining us tonight"

"Wonderful, I can't wait to meet her!" Sookie exclaimed

"Good!" Eric replied "I think our food is here, I'll see you in a few lover"

"Make sure Tony packed the caramel sauce for the desert" Sookie begged

"I will" Eric smiled "We'll be there soon" he said, closing his phone. He smiled as he looked at Tony "She wants me to make sure you put the caramel sauce in with the desert?"

Tony nodded, returning the smile "I've never known her to eat desert, let alone twice in one week"

"She will be craving it much more as time goes on I think" Eric replied easily, his grin widening at the surprised look taking over the bartenders face.

"Congratulations" he told Eric smiling

"Thank you" Eric said easily, turning to Amelia he spoke again "You ready?"

Taking a last gulp of her drink, Amelia nodded and stepped off the bar stool as Eric grabbed the bags of food and they made their way to the car.

Eric was backing into his garage less than 10 minutes later.

"I have to tell you Eric…it seems very odd, you're getting _married_…I am very happy for you, but before you left we were discussing your usual goodbye bouquet and now…a baby…a wedding" Amelia said almost laughing.

Eric paused, his door open but he hadn't stepped out of the car yet. He took a deep breath looking a head of them for a moment before turning to Amelia with a small smile on his face "I love her Amelia, I never thought I would do that either"

"I can't wait to meet her" Amelia said "I loved talking to her on the phone"

"We are heading there now" Eric said smiling as he stepped out of the car "But first, lets stop at the apartment and drop off your things"

He grabbed her suitcases while she grabbed the bags of food and they made their way into the hall and to his apartment door.

"I still need to get a few things out of the closet, but other than that, feel free to use anything here" he told her as they walked through the front door "Sookie and I are directly below you, so if you need anything just come down, but she is on modified bedrest for now"

Amelia looked around briefly. Taking in the rented furniture and stocked kitchen. "Lets eat, I can investigate later" she said to him.

"Good idea" he said smiling, he gave her a spare key he'd had made earlier in the day, and they made their way down the stairs to Sookie's apartment.

"We're here" he called out walking through the door.

Amelia smiled as she saw the comfortable furniture and Bella, stretched out on the sofa in front of her.

"Hi there" she said, scratching the cat behind the ear.

She was rewarded with a purr and a quiet "meow"

"That's Bella, she has a tough life" Eric said smiling as he watched from the dining room.

"Leave my baby girl alone" answered a female voice from behind Amelia, who turned around and stared at the blonde walking towards her with an extended hand. "You must be Amelia" she said

"I am, you must be Sookie" Amelia said shaking her hand "Its so nice to meet you, I've missed our phone calls" they started giggling then, their handshake leading to a hug.

"I'm so sorry to be rude, but Eric, please tell me you have dinner…I'm starving" Sookie said walking towards him smiling.

He watched the two hug and heard Sookie ask him about dinner as she walked towards him, his arms opening to wrap around her. He pressed a kiss to her cheek as he answered, "I did, we stopped upstairs to drop Amelia's things off before heading down here, you need to sit down Sookie, the Doctor said to stay off your feet as much as possible" he lectured.

Eric lifted her easily and set her down on one of the chairs beside him as he moved to the kitchen to grab plates and silverware to set them on the table.

"Amelia, we have ice tea and water, I've not been to the store this week, I'm so sorry" Sookie said looking at her, as Eric moved back to the kitchen to grab drinks.

"Ice tea is fine and don't worry about it, I think you have other things to worry about right now" Amelia said smiling

Sookie giggled and started laying the plates on the table, while Amelia sorted the silverware. Eric returned with the ice tea for each of them and they started sorting the food.

The conversation flowed easily around the table as they discussed the business, the local area and Sookie's upcoming doctor appointment.

Amelia helped Eric clear the table as Sookie sat in the living room, on the couch with Bella in her lap. Flipping channels on the TV, she stopped on a local news channel briefly, hoping for a local weather report.

Amelia walked into the living room and sat down in one of the recliners as the commercials were running. "Who is at the office at your desk?"

"I have a temp there, she's very nice, her name is Cheryl. That reminds me though, I need to call Victor and Sandy tomorrow. They are going to wonder why I haven't been by to see them"

Eric was walking in the room then, lifting Sookie's legs to place them across his lap so he could sit. "Just call Sookie, I don't want you going to the hospital until after we see the doctor"

"I promise to be careful" she said, grabbing and squeezing his hand.

"I can't wait to meet everyone Sookie, when we were talking you made them so real for me" Amelia said smiling.

"You'll love Victor" Sookie said

"He was wonderful when I met him in California, I can't wait to meet his wife, and everyone in the office"

"Sandy is lovely. I remember when they got married" Sookie laughed "I thought Victor was going to come unglued he was so excited. If you can wait til Friday, we can go to the office together, I am happy to show you around and introduce you to folks" Sookie offered.

"I might do that, it will take me a couple days to get my sleep schedule on the East Coast" Amelia said, nodding at Eric "How did you do it?"

"I was actually awake the entire first 24 hours"

"Is that why you were so horrible?" Sookie asked, smiling at him

"I think so" Eric said smiling at her, when he noticed Amelia's questioning glance "I was a bit ….excited when I first saw Sookie" he said quietly.

Amelia's phone rang then, interrupting them.

"Hi Trey, sorry I didn't call when I landed, its been a bit crazy…can I call you back in a few minutes?" Amelia asked smiling at Eric and Sookie.

"Alright sweetie, love you too, I'll call you in just a few" she said terminating the call.

Sookie got up then, excusing herself to use the bathroom, leaving Eric and Amelia in the living room.

"I need to go call him, she looks tired anyway" Amelia said smiling at Eric, as she stood up "Tell her thank you, and that I'll pop down tomorrow" she said walking towards the door.

Eric smiled, and hugged her for a moment "Thank you for coming out here early, its been crazy" he told her

"I know" Amelia said smiling at him "Go to bed, I'll see you tomorrow sometime" she walked out the door and up the stairs, unaware of the camera snapping pictures of her walking into Eric's apartment.

* * *

**AN: Sorry for my delay in posting this chapter...my laptop died a slow death...we even had a funeral for it...it was most tragic. Hope to be up and running at normal speed by the end of this next week. Enjoy and thank you everyone for all your comments and messages, keep them coming!**

**ALSO - I am going to be creating a Live Journal account in the coming weeks, this is in response to some of the drama going on here at FF. As soon as I am up and running with that, I will update all of you as well as my author page with the link.**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Amelia called Trey when she was settled in the apartment. She moved the rest of Eric's clothing to the hall closet, intending to take it down stairs when she visited Sookie the next day.

She took a shower and turned on the TV, hoping to kill some time and get tired. Finding the game show network, she watched a marathon of The Price is Right while she fired up her laptop and checked email.

It was close to 1am before she was tired enough to crawl into bed. She the alarm clock for 8:30am, hoping to use the remainder of the week to transition herself to the time difference, in California she woke at 5:30 to go to the gym before starting her day at the office.

* * *

Eric woke up late Thursday. He got ready for work without waking Sookie and made it to work before his first meeting.

His entire day was spent in a review for a proposal, it was deemed a must win for the company. It was close to 6:30 before he got to check his phone and found a message from Sookie waiting for him.

"What time are you gonna be home for dinner?" she'd sent that at 5p. Hitting reply, he typed back,

"Leaving in about 10 minutes, want me to grab something on the way home?"

He took the stairs back to his office and felt his phone vibrate as he walked through the door,

"That's fine, Amelia is with me, call on your way home, we can decide then. ILY"

Eric smiled and shut his laptop down for the day. Stuffing it in it bag, he looked around his office to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything. Grabbing his jacket on the way out the door, he shut it and walked down the hall towards the elevator.

He didn't call until he was leaving the parking garage. Sookie answered on the second ring.

"Hi" she said

"Hi yourself, how are you feeling?" he asked

"Tired and hungry, the sickness hit today, it was bad" she told him "but I think that it's a good sign, it means the hormone levels are definitely rising"

"Good, but I'm sorry its so hard on you Princess" he told her "What do you want for dinner?"

"Amelia and I were talking about Chinese, how does that sound to you?"

"Wonderful, do you want me to call it in?" he offered

"Why don't you tell me what you want and I'll call it in, that way you can just stop on the way home to pick it up"

"I want the Crispy Beef, and an order of pot stickers please" he said

"Ok, I'll call it in now and I'll see you when you get here, I missed you today" she told him

"I missed you too" he said before hanging up with a smile on his face.

* * *

Sookie woke up slowly. She moved her hand around looking for Eric and found his side of the bed cool. With a sigh, she opened her eyes and looked at the clock, it was almost 9:45.

She sat up, intending on going to the kitchen, but was quickly redirected by her rolling stomach. After emptying her belly, she brushed her teeth and got back in bed, groaning.

Sookie managed to fall back to sleep before too long, and woke up to a soft knock on her door. Glancing quickly at the clock, she saw it was almost 11. Grabbing her robe, she walked towards the door,

"Who is it?" she called out

"Amelia" came the muffled answer

Sookie smiled and opened the door quickly. Stepping aside to let Amelia, she said

"How was your first night? And forgive the nightgown, I'm being lazy"

"Don't worry about being lazy, I'm in sweats" Amelia replied laughing and pointing to her own clothes "First night was ok, I was a bit stir crazy trying to get tired for sleep, but I forced myself to get up early, hoping to make an easier transition with the time change"

"Come on in" Sookie smiled, walking back towards her bedroom. Crawling back into bed, she patted the other side and said "Climb up, we can watch TV while we figure out what to do next"

Giggling Amelia climbed up next to her and laid back on the pillows. "Has the morning sickness hit yet?"

Sookie groaned and rolled her eyes "It did this morning, in a big way. It was miserable"

"I'm sorry" Amelia said sympathically "I have some ginger candy in my bag upstairs, I bring it down for you, it will help keep things calm. I use it when I'm feeling under the weather myself"

"Thank you, I appreciate it" Sookie smiled as they flipped channels. Settling on a movie, Sweet Home Alabama, Amelia ran to the kitchen to get tea for both of them. Half way through the movie, they decided to do each others nails. By the end of the afternoon, they were chatting like life long friends.

Sookie was telling Amelia about the house they had decided on, when she started feeling sick again. She made it to the bathroom as the heaving started. Amelia slipped upstairs and grabbed the candy, and was back downstairs before Sookie was out of the bathroom.

"There is no way to get used to this" Sookie said as she emerged from the bathroom noticeably paler.

"I grabbed the candy, just pop it in your mouth and suck on it. It will help" Amelia said, handing her the box she had brought downstairs.

"What if you need it?" Sookie asked opening a piece and popping it in her mouth

"I'll order more tomorrow, no worries" Amelia promised "Besides if it helps, Eric will order case loads by next week"

"I haven't heard from him today, I need to message him" Sookie said, grabbing her phone and sending him a message.

* * *

Eric made it to the Chinese restaurant in under 30 minutes. Traffic had been a bit worse that usual and it had caused a small delay.

He was a bit shocked at the amount of food, there were 5 orders of pot stickers, a dozen egg rolls, his crispy beef, broccoli chicken, shrimp in lobster sauce and an order of house lo mein.

He paid for the order, and grabbing the bags, shook his head and chuckled at the same time. Setting the food in his back seat, he climbed into the car, and drove home, pulling into his garage.

Eric hollered out as he walked through the door "Hello!"

"In the dining room" Sookie answered

Eric walked towards the sound of her voice, setting the bags on the table, looked at her "Hungry?" he asked smiling, as he leaned forward to press his lips to hers.

"Starving" Sookie giggled

"You look pale princess" he said, his eyes taken on a look of concern

"The morning sickness was bad today, I'm gonna have to talk to the doctor about it tomorrow" Sookie said "I held nothing down, until Amelia gave me some of her candy"

"I gave her the ginger candy" Amelia said stepping forward her eyes meeting Eric's "You'll need to order more, it helped"

"No problem" Eric said, "Is it online?"

"Yep, I'll email the link to you" Amelia said, grabbing some of the food and sitting in a chair.

Eric walked to the bedroom, changing quickly into his pajama pants, pulling on a shirt and returning to the table.

The trio started talking while they ate, quickly passing the time. Sookie was yawning before long, and Amelia used that as a signal for her to end the night.

"So tomorrow, do you need me to drive you to the doctor?" she offered

"I'll take her, I want to be there for this appointment" Eric said, "But we can stop by on the way back" he smiled

"And tomorrow afternoon, depending on how things go, I'll show you where the office is" Sookie said smiling.

Amelia nodded and said her goodnights and made her way back upstairs.

Sookie walked to the bedroom, and crawled back into bed. She was sleep before her head touched the pillow.

Eric put away the leftover food, put the dishes in the dishwasher and snuggled up behind her in bed, smiling as he breathed in her scent.

* * *

Sookie woke suddenly, her stomach rolling. Running for the bathroom, she noticed it was still dark out, she shut the door behind her, as her dinner came up.

A few minutes later, she managed to brush her teeth and crawl in bed beside a wide awake Eric.

"OK?" he asked quietly, rubbing her stomach gently

"Hand me a piece of the candy, its in the box beside you" she said, her voice hoarse.

Eric found it, and quickly handed her a piece. Sookie put it in her mouth and kept her eyes closed while she sat still waiting for the horrid sickness to at least weaken.

Eric watched her, feeling guilty. He felt her fly from the bed earlier and heard her get sick in the bathroom. Not knowing what to do, he waited in bed for her to return. When she walked out, her face looked almost green.

"How long before we have to leave?" she asked quietly

"We have almost 2 hours, princess" he answered, wrapping his body around hers.

It was almost 30 minutes before Sookie felt the candy working. She'd dissolved a piece already and was working on her second when she finally felt like she wasn't praying for death.

Eric felt some of the tension leaving her body, he ran a hand up and down her arm "Better?" he asked gently

"Getting better" Sookie smiled at him.

"Shower?" he asked

"You get started, I'll join you in a minute" she said

"Alright" he said, pressing his lips to her cheek before getting up

Sookie heard the water start, and heard Eric get under the water. She took a few deep breaths and sat up in bed. The room was spinning, but she didn't feel like she was going to lose her stomach.

Pulling her nightgown off, she walked into the bathroom and crawled into the shower, leaning against Eric for support. He moved her under the spray, his arms never leaving her.

"Sookie, you are out of breath princess" he said in concern

"It will pass, I got winded" she smiled at him timidly "Just give me a minute" she said, setting her head against his chest as she wrapped her hands around his waist.

Eric sighed in concern and pressed his lips to the top of her head. He would be talking to the doctor about this.

Sookie started to feel better after a few moments, and leaned her head back, letting the water hit her scalp. Eric smiled down at her, and grabbed the shampoo.

They managed to wash and condition each other's hair and got out. Eric wrapped Sookie in a towel and carried her to the bed, handing her the small towel she used on her hair, while he went to grab a towel for himself.

They dressed, Eric in jeans and a polo and Sookie in leggings and a button up green shirt. Sliding her feet into flip flops, she smiled as Eric stepped into loafers. Grabbing her purse and a handful of the candy, they locked up the apartment. Eric carried Sookie up the stairs and to the car. She opened her mouth to protest, but instead set her head against his shoulder.

They made the drive to the doctors office and were led back to an exam room by Linda, who took more of Sookie's blood.

When Linda was done, she reached into a cabinet and handed Sookie a paper gown and cover.

"I think you are just here for blood test and to talk but let me give you these in case the doctor decides she needs to take a look, stay dressed for now" Linda said smiling at the couple. She noticed Sookie's skin "I think its safe to say those hormone levels have risen though, is the sickness bad?"

Sookie managed a timid smile "Its miserable"

"That, my dear, is a very very good sign" Linda said squeezing Sookie's shoulder gently.

"We've discovered that ginger candy helps" Eric said

"Oh yes it will, so will ginger ale, it will be handy to keep and ginger snaps. Real ginger will help calm that tummy right down" Linda said smiling. She left the room after that, but before Eric could say anything Dr. Brigant was walking in.

She sat down on a small wheeled stool, with Sookie's file in her hand.

"Linda is doing the test now, so while we wait, how have you been feeling?"

"Horrible" Sookie said "I've been getting sick as the week progresses, I can't seem to keep anything down, I'm getting concerned"

"Is dinner not digesting? What about lunch?" Dr. Brigant asked

"I can't tell about lunch to be honest, but dinner goes in and its about 5 hours later, its all coming back up again, and I keep getting dizzy and trying to get in the shower this morning, I got winded"

"I'm going to give you a prescription for the sickness, take 2 times a day, once before you go to bed and after you get up, its ideal to take them 12 hours apart, but it will help. The hormones are affecting your body, this is your first pregnancy isn't it?"

"Yes" Sookie said blushing "I wasn't….I never….I wasn't on any birth control prior to this" she said

Eric smiled "Sookie is not used to any added hormones; she was new to all of this when I met her"

Dr. Brigant smiled "Ahhh yes" she said nodding her head "Your body is not used to the hormones, and its reacting. The prescription will help, it will take the edge off, you may still have some queasiness, but the vomiting will stop. I want to know if the winded feeling or dizziness continues. Right now, I think its from lack of nutrition, the baby is taking what is needs from your body, and with you getting sick, you aren't able to replenish it and you're suffering. If it keeps up after you start the prescription I need to know, it could mean something else is wrong."

"When can I start doing things again?" Sookie asked

"When I can see those hormone levels I can better answer that question, but I don't think you should be doing anything with impact for awhile. Jogging, running, horseback riding all of that is out. I just don't feel comfortable telling you that its safe when your body has had a bit of difficulty with this pregnancy. Lets see how things progress and we can adjust as you go. Sex is good, walking is very good, as long as you aren't dizzy."

Linda came in then, handing a few sheets of paper to the doctor.

"Alright Sookie, this is good, your levels are much better, they are actually above what I was expecting, which is good, its very good. You may have conceived a bit later than I thought. Nothing with impact and try to eat clean meat, and by that I mean meat with no hormones. Organic I think it is the key word here, and organic milk. Keep your caffeine consumption low, limit yourself to one cup of coffee a day and try not to drink soda at all. You will also want to watch the salt"

"I drink ice tea is that bad?" Sookie asked

"No, that should be fine, there is caffeine but its much smaller amounts and tea actually has some benefits, but avoid green tea in large quantities."

"I don't add much salt to my food" Sookie said

"That is also good, you'll want to watch certain seafoods and try to avoid lunch meat, do you have a cat?"

"Yes" Sookie said

"You are on cat box duty" Dr. Brigant said looking at Eric "She cannot do it til after the baby is born"

Eric and Sookie asked a few more questions and scheduled a follow-up appointment in two weeks. As they were leaving Sookie asked "When can I return to work?"

"Next week, take it easy today and over the weekend and start back next week, no more than 45 hours a week, watch the stress and at least 8 hours of sleep or rest, stay off your feet for long periods, keep your walking to 30 minutes at a time"

"I was going to show a new employee around today, is that alright? I won't be there all day and I won't be working, but I wanted to show her around the office and introduce her to people"

"I think that would be fine" Dr. Brigant said smiling "I'll see you both in two weeks" she said standing as she shook both of their hands before leaving the room.

Eric and Sookie walked out hand in hand smiling. Eric helped Sookie into the car.

Once he was settled, Sookie grabbed his hand and squeezed it "Eric, this is really happening" she whispered.

He brought her hand to his lips and pressed and kiss to it, before rubbing it against his face "Yes we are my love"

Sookie took her free hand and rubbed her belly then, "Wow" she said smiling.

"I should hear about the house soon" he told her "I am fairly certain they will accept our offer"

"Are you sure we can afford it? We can find a smaller house Eric, I'll be happy wherever" she insisted

"I want that house Sookie, and this weekend, we'll talk about finances, for now, lets focus on getting you home" he smiled at her.

Eric set her hand on his leg, while he switched lanes and took his phone out of his pocket. Sookie seeing his distraction, giggled and squeezed his leg. Leaning over she whispered in his ear "When do you have to go to the office?" she asked, immediately sucking his ear lobe into her mouth.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"Eric please!" Sookie begged from underneath him. His tongue moving small circles around her nub, where she wanted his tongue the most. He had kept her on the edge for almost 30 minutes now.

When they'd gotten home from the doctor, he had all but ripped their clothes off, tossed her on the bed and kissed his way down her body. He was between her legs, taking her to the edge and then backing off, but never letting her completely cool down. This last time, he'd grabbed her wrists, holding both of them in one of his hands over her belly.

"Eric….god please stop" she begged

Pausing to look up at her he spoke "Say it Sookie, tell me what I want to hear" he coaxed, and evil smile on his lips.

"Stop stopping" she begged

"Why?" he asked, using his thumb on her while he was talking.

"I need it" Sookie said

"You need what?" he asked, his eyebrow arching

"I need to cum Eric, please, I'm burning up so bad, let me cum for you" she begged

"I'll think about it" he said, lowering his mouth to her again, licking her where she wanted it most.

Sookie moaned then, her head moving back and forth on the pillow as she felt the tension building in her belly. The familiar tingling in her legs, as they stiffened, her toes pointing. The spasms started in her muscles then "Please!" she begged desperately, "Please don't stop Eric, I want to cum so bad" she begged, shuddering under his tongue, the waves washing over her, as she felt her release drawing near.

"Oh god its sooo good" she cried out, tears falling from her eyes, her body quivering now.

Eric slid two fingers into her, feeling her walls clenching him, as he continued licking, flattening his tongue against her little bundle of nerves as Sookie screamed out her climax, her sweet honey pouring out of her core.

Eric moaned as he laped at her juices, his erection almost painful now, his desire for her was so great.

"I love you pregnant Sookie, you are so much hotter, inside and out" he moaned sliding himself into her.

Sookie wrapped her legs around his waist, holding on as he moved in and out of her, her hands holding his strong shoulders, as the tension that she thought had left her body, made itself known again.

She started moving with him, her feet pressing into his calves, her toes flexing as her muscles started tightening again.

Eric felt her body getting rigid, her core tightening on him, he was already close, her heat almost scalding him. He increased his speed.

Sookie was moaning under him, her head moving back and forth,

"Yeah baby" she moaned "Fuck me good" she cried the words leaving her mouth before she could think

"Oh God Sookie" Eric cried, as he felt her tumbling over the edge, her walls getting more slick and tight, literally ripping his orgasm from him. He thrust a few more times, filling her with his warm seed before falling on the bed beside her.

Sookie was still panting as he pulled her close, her body weak with the exhaustion. She felt Eric press his lips against hers, as she started laughing.

"Something is funny?" Eric asked, wiping the sweat from his brow

"I can't believe I just screamed that at you" she said, tucking her face into her pillow to hide the blush

Eric smirked, pulling her face up to his "I like hearing you scream those words at me in bed Sookie, I want you to tell me everything you want, and everything you feel" he said "I'm gonna tie you up one night, and make you tell me exactly how everything feels as I do it to you" he said, pressing his lips to her collar bone as Sookie moaned.

"You are a bad bad man Eric Northman" she said smiling at him

"I am your bad bad man" he said smiling back at her "And I need a shower before I go to work, or everyone will know you forced me to get you off" he chuckled at her ducking to miss the pillow that was swinging at his head.

Eric jumped in the shower and was out in minutes, finding Sookie asleep when he got out. He smiled as he dressed, his eyes moving over her body. She was snuggled under a sheet, but her skin was still glowing. He felt himself getting hard at the sight of her, and he quickly grabbed his jacket, pressing his lips to hers gently, he was out the door in moments, locking it behind him.

He stopped upstairs to see Amelia, knocking on the door.

She answered a moment later, greeting him warmly as she let him in.

"How was the appointment?" she asked

"It was very good, no problems, her hormone levels are up where they should be, and the doctor gave her a list of what to eat and what not to eat. She isn't allowed to do anything with impact though, no running, jogging, or horseback riding" Eric said

"Well then I guess you'll get to be on top all the time now" Amelia teased

"Don't know do ya?" he teased back

"Nope and I don't wanna know" Amelia giggled at him "You have cooties"

"No I don't you do, you're the girl and everyone knows girls have cooties" he said laughing at her in return

"Poopiehead"

"Nice, real mature" he replied

"I learned from you" she said

"I'm heading in, she is asleep, give her an hour or so and then you can wake her up. She is allowed to go in to the office, but no working til Monday" he said, as he walked out the door.

"Got it" Amelia said "Did the candy help?"

"Very much, she seems to have a very hard time waking up" he said smiling over his shoulder "By the way, before I forget….I rubber, you're glue, it all bounces off of me and sticks to you!" he said immediately closing the door behind him to cut off her response.

* * *

Sookie woke up feeling like she was being watched. She looked around and found Bella laying on Eric's pillow staring at her.

Reaching her hand to scratch behind Bella's ear "Hey kitty, how's my pretty girl?" she asked, after a couple of blinks and sniffing, she was rewarded with the sound of Bella's purr.

"Did he feed you, baby girl?" Sookie asked

"Meow" Bella answered, her eyes soft as she looked at Sookie

"Let's check your dishes" Sookie said, getting up from the bed and wrapping herself in her robe. Bella was close on her heels as they walked into the kitchen to find empty hard food, soft food and water dishes.

"Oh baby girl, you're all empty." Sookie said bending to grab the dishes; once she had filled them she set them back down again, earning a happy "meow" from the cat.

She walked back to the bedroom, leaning on the bed when she got a bit dizzy for a moment. After a few slow deep breaths she made her way to the bathroom and took a quick shower, washing the sweat from her body and cooling her head off. She'd noticed with the rise in her hormone levels, her temperature also seemed to rise as well.

* * *

"Mr. Compton, very nice to meet you" Felicia said sliding into a chair at the table. She was attending a charity for her father.

"Good Afternoon Mrs Maines, I heard a congratulations is in order for you and Mr. Northman"

"Oh, there was a change in our situation, but thank you for your wishes" Felicia said uncomfortably

"I'm sorry to hear that" Bill replied easily "I hope all is well for you"

Felicia smiled her reply and they began talking of other things. It was at the end of the lunch that Bill handed her his card "Call me, we should get together sometime" he said smiling as his eyes smolder.

"I just might do that" she replied, winking at him

* * *

Sookie was wrapped in a towel drying her hair, when she heard her cell phone ringing.

"Hi Gran" she said

"Hello baby girl, I just wanted to see how you were doing"

"I'm fine, big news though, are you sitting down?" Sookie asked

"You're pregnant!" Gran guessed laughing

"How did you know?" Sookie laughed into the phone

"Sookie with a man like your Eric, it wasn't hard to guess at all, child"

"He is handsome isn't he?" Sookie asked, her voice getting soft

"Sex on legs, child" Gran answered

"GRAN!" Sookie said, shocked

"Sookie, I was married, he should have you screaming his name at night" Gran said knowing Sookie was blushing to the roots of her hair

"New topic" Sookie said, unable to process her Gran speaking of sex in such a fashion

"Becky ran off again" Gran told her quietly

"Oh no" Sookie said "Any idea where?"

"None, last time she was in LA, not sure where she went this time" Gran said with a sigh

Sookie heard a knock on her door then "Gran can I call you this evening? Someone is knocking on my door" she said

"Of course child, give Eric my love" Gran said before hanging up

"JUST A MINUTE!" Sookie called out, looking out the peephole, she saw nobody standing at her door. She heard the knock again, and still saw nothing and no one standing outside her door. She quietly slipped the second lock on the door, the apartments were all equipped with second locks that could only be locked and unlocked from within the apartment.

She quietly backed away from the door, the hair on her arms rising as she did so. Walking to her porch door, she made sure it was locked too. She still had her cell phone in her pocket, so she dialed Eric.

"Hello Princess" he purred into the phone

"Eric – someone is knocking on the door and there is nobody standing outside when I look" she whispered into the phone. She was facing the front door and heard the knocking louder, a third time.

"Sookie…I'm on the way home…stay on the phone with me" he said "Don't open the door"

"I won't" she whispered quietly, walking into the bedroom and turning on her headset. "I've got to get dressed though" she whispered.

"Just be careful, turn off the lights, stay away from the doors and windows" he told her

Sookie quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a button up shirt. She heard a banging on her door again, the echo reaching Eric through the phone.

"Eric" she whimpered

"Sookie, I'm calling Amelia, don't hang up Princess, just hang on" he said, flipping lines on his phone

Amelia answered in 2 rings "Sup bossman?" she said

"Someone is banging on Sookie's door, can you look quietly?" Eric asked

"Hang on" Amelia said "I am going to set the phone down"

Amelia quickly set the phone down on a table by the door, she looked outside her peep hole, and seeing nobody, she opened her door quietly. Looking around, she made her way to the stairs and looked over the railing.

There were 2 very large men standing on either side of the door downstairs, just out of sight of the peephole. Making her way back to her apartment, Amelia stepped inside and locked the door behind her.

Grabbing the phone she said "There are two very large men out there Eric, you talk to Sookie, I am calling the police" she said

"Do it" Eric said, flipping the line back to Sookie who was on the verge of hysterics at this point.

"Princess?" Eric said, weaving in and out of traffic as he practically flew down the road towards the apartment.

"Eric…they keep banging" Sookie whispered "I'm in the bedroom with the door locked in the closet"

"Amelia is calling the police, just stay put Sookie and don't open that door" he told her "I love you and I'm almost there" he said

"I love you Eric, hurry please" she whispered

Eric kept her on the line, his mind to stressed with worry to make conversation.

"Eric…there are voices outside" she whispered

"Stay in the apartment, I'm still 5 minutes away Sookie" he said

"I can't hear what they are saying but I can hear voices" she said

"Don't unlock that door until I get there Sookie" he told her "I am almost there"

Eric was pulling in front of his garage then, he saw the squad cars parked haphazardly around the parking lot, multiple uniformed officers moving around, and he saw Amelia talking to one of them. Walking up, he had his phone pressed to his ear, "I have Sookie on the phone, is it safe for her to open the door?" he asked Amelia

"Yes" Amelia replied "The goons are in the squad car over there" she said pointing to the farthest cop car.

"Sookie, I'm on the way down the stairs, Princess let me in" he said, hanging up the phone.

He didn't breathe a sigh of relief until she was safe in his arms though. She opened the door timidly, until she saw him standing in the doorway. She flung herself into his arms, tears streaming down her face.

"Eric" she sobbed

He held her, speaking soothing words into her ear as an officer walked up to them, "I'm sorry sir, but we need to get her statement" he said indicating Sookie.

"In a moment" Eric said "She is pregnant and on bedrest, let me get her in the apartment and you can come in" he said picking her up into his arms. Eric walked through the apartment, setting her on the bed.

Sookie was calming down then, her emotions were all over the place, between fear and worry, and now anger.

"Who were those people? What did they want?" she asked

"I don't know, but there is an officer who needs a statement from you, are you up for it?" Eric asked

Sookie nodded and Eric let the office into the bedroom.

After a few brief questions, the officer left, with the name of Eric's attorney and promised to update them with any information they got from the questioning of the men.

Amelia had made it down the stairs by that point, standing in the living room, waiting for the officer to leave.

Looking at Eric as he let the officer out she asked "Do we know anything?"

"Not yet" Eric told her

"How is Sookie?" she asked

"Shaken up" he said

"How are you?" she asked, her hand on his shoulder

"Scared and angry, I can't lose her" he said, running a hand through is hair

"Let the police handle some of this, and Damon will handle the rest, focus on Sookie" Amelia said "Have either of you eaten anything?"

"I don't think so" he told her "Take my car, go grab something for all of us, Sookie hates mayo" he said, handing her his keys "This is the apartment key, I'm locking the door, just let yourself in"

Amelia nodded and left the apartment. She found a chik-fil-a not far from the house, and remembering that Sookie had told her about it and a particular salad, she got one of those for Sookie and sandwiches for her and Eric. Making her way back, she discovered she had only been gone 10 minutes, but the cops were gone and the complex was almost quiet. It was just after 1p.

She made her way down the stairs and let herself into the apartment. Eric was walking out of the bedroom, he'd changed out of his suit and into jeans.

"She's asleep" he said as they walked towards the dining room table.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"She's asleep" he said as they walked towards the dining room table.

"Any word yet from Damon?" Amelia asked taking a bit of her sandwich.

"No, but I expect to hear something before the end of the night" he replied

"Is Sookie ok?" she asked

"I think so, no bleeding or anything like that. I called the doctor and she said that as long as Sookie felt ok, not to worry too much, but to take it easy for the weekend"

Amelia nodded, pushing his food at him "You need to eat Eric, then you can worry over Sookie, but you won't do either of you any good if you don't take care of yourself" she said.

They both heard a key in the door then, and Amelia jumped as Lafayette burst into the apartment "Where's my girl?" he demanded

"She's asleep" Eric replied, indicating Lafayette should lower his tone of voice.

"What the hell happened?" he asked, looking at Amelia as he sat down at the table.

"Lafayette, this is Amelia, she is my assistant from California, Amelia this is Lafayette, Marketing and a very close friend of Sookie's" Eric said introducing them, before he began his explanation to Lafayette on the events of the afternoon.

"How did the doctor appointment go today?" Lafayette asked

"Well, her hormone levels are up and she was taken off bedrest, but after the events this afternoon, she was told to stay in bed the rest of the weekend as a precaution" Eric explained.

The three of them sat around the dining room table a bit longer. It was Sookie calling for Eric that made them notice the time.

"Eric?" Sookie called from the bedroom

Eric was walking towards the room before she finished calling his name "I'm here lover" he said walking into the room to stand beside her.

"I thought I heard voices" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Amelia and Lafayette are here" he told her "Do you want to come out and sit with us?"

"I think so" she said smiling. Still clothed from earlier, she stepped out into the living room.

"Hi" she said spotting Amelia and Lafayette at the table. She joined them at the table, snapping the top off of her salad. With a grin she looked at Amelia "You remembered"

"Yep" Amelia said smiling back "How are you feeling?"

"Tired" Sookie said "But otherwise fine" she watched as Eric took his seat next to her, after grabbing her some ice tea from the kitchen. "Any word on who those goons where and why they were here?" she asked

"Nope not yet" Eric answered, "But Lafayette just arrived a few minutes ago, he was concerned about you"

"Oh, thank you Lafayette" she said "How did you know anything had happened?"

"I figured something was wrong when bossman left in the middle of the day and didn't return"

Sookie ate most of her salad, listening to Lafayette and Amelia talk. Bella began meowing for her dinner not long after Sookie had finished hers. It was Lafayette who answered her calls.

"Ah the princess of the house makes her presence known" he grinned opening a can of tuna for the cat

"I think she is the Queen" Amelia laughed

"She thinks so too" Eric added, grinning

Sookie jumped when Eric's phone rang a moment later, "Its Pam" he said looking at the caller ID and taking the call into the bedroom.

"Pam" he said answering the phone

"What the hell is going on? I got a call earlier that said there were cops swarming your apartment?"

"This is all part of what I was going to tell you over the weekend" Eric began, explaining his engagement, the pregnancy and today's drama to her over the phone

"Holy crap" Pam said, "do you need me to come over?"

"Amelia is here and Lafayette is also, he is a friend of Sookie's I think we are at capacity, I am going to send them home soon, so I can keep her relaxed, how about tomorrow?"

They agreed to Pam coming by at 1p the next day, Saturday. Eric got off the phone with her, only to hear Sookie's phone vibrating, looking at the caller id, he saw it was Gran and he answered

"Hi Adele"

"Eric!" she said excitedly "I called earlier, and Sookie said she'd call me back this evening, but I just had a feeling something was wrong, is she alright?"

Eric explained the drama of the early afternoon to her, which left Gran near hysteria "Can I talk to her Eric? I promise not to upset her"

"Of course, let me get her"

Eric returned to the living room and handed Sookie her phone "Its Gran" he told her. Nodding Sookie took the phone and walked towards the bedroom.

Lafayette took that as his cue to leave, and saying his goodnights was out the door. Amelia waited until Lafayette was gone before looking at Eric and asking "You good for the night?"

"Yeah, go home, get some sleep, and Amelia, in case I didn't say it earlier, thank you"

Amelia just smiled and nodded. Eric breathed his first deep breath as he locked the door behind her. He looked at the clock, it was just after 8p but he was exhausted. He walked into the bedroom and saw Sookie laying on the bed, her feet stretched out in front of her as she talked on the phone.

"I love you too Gran and I'll call you tomorrow" she said, smiling at him as she saw him walk in.

Eric curled up on the bed next to Sookie. Pulling her close, he breathed in her scent, still smelling a small amount of the Vanilla body wash from earlier.

"I love you" he said softly

Sookie smiled, rubbing her hand on his arm as she looked at him "I love you too"

"We will find out who that was today"

"I know" Sookie said smiling at him "I'm glad you are home for the weekend, I don't want to be alone"

"As soon as we close on the house we are moving" Eric told her "I won't have another situation like this happening"

"Won't that take a few weeks?" Sookie asked "I've never bought a house before"

"It won't take us as long" Eric said "We will need to make time to talk about that this weekend, maybe Sunday, I'll take you to see Damon and we can start changing my estate papers"

"Eric, I don't want anything" Sookie said

"We will talk about it later" Eric told her, pressing his lips to her to silence any further argument. He pulled back a moment later, not wishing to take things any further after the afternoon they'd had.

"What are our plans for tomorrow?" He asked "I have Pam coming for lunch"

"We just need to hit some grocery stores and Costco" Sookie told him "Nothing glamorous"

Bella walked in then, announcing her presence with a "meow" and jumping onto Sookie's side of the bed for a scratch.

"Can I be your cat?" Eric said as he watched the cat get Sookie's attention

Sookie ignored his comment, scratching Bella behind the ears and turning on her side pressing her back against his chest.

"Are you ever going to get tired of competing with my cat for attention?" she asked

"Are you ever going to pet me the way you do her?" he answered

"I thought I did earlier" she said looking over her shoulder at him, a wicked grin on her face

"humph" he commented, closing his eyes and reaching behind him to turn off the light, he checked his phone to make sure it was on vibrate and snuggled back into Sookie.

* * *

Felicia paused for the maitre d to pull out the chair at the table. Bill stood, pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek before allowing her to slide into the now open chair.

"Good Evening Felicia, I was happy you called" he said smiling

"I am sure you were" she smiled at him, her eyes glowing

Bill's eyes took in her figure, lingering on her chest "What can I do for you? Or were you just anxious for my company?" he asked, holding his hand out across the table

"We seem to have a mutual….rival" she said carefully, smiling at him, placing her hand in his,

"We do?" he asked turning his head slightly, arching an eyebrow at her "Who would be able to rival you?" he breathed

"Eric Northman and Sookie Stackhouse" she said quietly, her gaze locking on his

* * *

Damon was at the police station until after 3am. He wasn't allowed in the room during questioning but he was permitted to watch outside. The men had been separated and were still not talking, both requesting attorneys.

When they'd been taken into custody, they both had guns and hunting knives. One had also been found with a good amount of rope hanging from his belt loop. It was clear they were intending to take someone, but what they were going to do after that was the unknown and neither one of them were talking, the officers didn't even have names yet.

Both men had been fingerprinted, and a set of officers were trying to run the prints in the system to find a match, if nothing was found locally they would be checking INTERPOL after to see if they were internationals.

Once the public defender arrived, the questioning had stopped. Damon hung around for a bit longer, but ultimately left the station with no answers.

* * *

Eric woke before Sookie the next day. He checked the clock and his phone before getting out of bed. It was after 9am and he hadn't heard from Damon yet.

Getting out of bed to start the coffee he took his phone with him and dialed his long time lawyer. He'd known Damon since he was a child, his parents had started with him and when they'd passed Eric kept him on retainer, seeing no reason to change.

"Good Morning" Damon said answering his phone on the first ring

"Good Morning Damon, any word?" Eric asked immediately

"None, they dummied up last night demanding an attorney. I stayed until 3 but have no answers, although I am heading back now, I am hoping we at least have some names. They did manage to get prints off of them and were running them through the system. When I left last night, there were no matches"

"We have to find out who hired them" Eric said, running his hands through his hair "Has the real estate agent called? I want to move into the house ASAP"

"She did call, and I authorized the purchase just a few minutes ago, you should hear from her today. I think everything should be final by Wednesday at the latest."

* * *

"MARRIED?" Pam exclaimed, staring at Sookie and Eric in shock "You're getting married?"

Sookie nodded, blushing as she looked around the restaurant

"Oh my god, that's wonderful" Pam said, getting up from the table and running over to Sookie "I'm shocked but its great" she said hugging both of them

"Well there is more" Eric said quietly "Sit down and I'll tell you the rest" he said grinning as Sookie laughed

"I'm almost afraid of this reaction" she said, looking around the restaurant again. They were sitting in a small Mexican restaurant near the apartment.

"More?" Pam said, sitting down, her eyes wide with excitement "What? You already eloped and haven't told anyone?"

"No" Eric said grinning "We are expecting, you are going to be an Aunt" he said quietly

"OH MY GOD!" Pam yelled again running over to hug them both a second time "That's wonderful! I am so happy for you"

"Pam, sit down" Eric said laughing

Instead, she wrapped herself around him, hugging him tightly "Oh Eric, its wonderful!"

Sookie was laughing as Eric stared at her over Pam's shoulder "You could help you know" he said grinning

"I think you are doing fine" Sookie told him giggling

Pam settled down again, sitting back down at the table staring at them "When?" she asked

"When what?" Eric said

"Married and when is the baby due?"

"In about 8 months and we haven't set a date yet, I just got her to take the ring" Eric said smiling at her

"You got the ring? Show me" Pam said, looking at Sookie, who was pulling her hand up to show off the ring on her finger.

"We also put a contract on a house in Great Falls, I spoke to Damon about it earlier, it should be ours by Tuesday, so I think Wednesday we can move in" he told the both. Sookie gasped then, shocked at how quickly it was all happening

"So soon?" she asked

"I don't want to be in the apartment any longer than we have to be lover, it's too dangerous now" Eric told her

"Whats dangerous about an apartment?" asked Pam

With a sigh Eric told her about the happenings from yesterday afternoon.

"Do you want to come stay with me?" Pam offered "I have plenty of room"

"Pam that is very sweet of you, but I really want to sleep in my bed. I don't sleep well in new places and since I can't take my prescription" Sookie said looking at Eric "I am trying to keep things as peaceful as possible, but if anything else happens I promise you will be the first person we call"

"No more Ambien" Eric said firmly

"It is bad for you Sookie" Pam said, "Have you tried the Melatonin?"

"I've not really needed anything but I do have some in case I need it thank you, I don't deal well with changes. That seems to be what impacts me the most"

"Just stay off the Ambien" Pam said smiling "It's not good for the baby. It's so exciting just saying that Sookie….how does it feel?"

"Bloated" Sookie said laughing at Pam's expression then "Do you want children?"

"No way" Pam said "I'm realistic enough to know I don't want to screw up some poor innocent child"

"Thank God!" Eric said grinning

Their food arrived then and Sookie attacked it with relish, she paused when she noticed Eric and Pam grinning at her.

"What?" she asked

"Nothing my love, just enjoying you enjoying your food" Eric said smiling

"It looks like feeding time at the zoo" Pam said "I take it this is new" she asked looking at Eric with a grin.

"HEY!" Sookie said indignantly

"She is teasing" Eric said, looking at Pam

"Sookie you almost attacked the waiter" Pam said giggling

"I did not" Sookie replied

"Alright you two, Pam stop teasing her" Eric said rolling his eyes

"When did you become the adult?" Pam asked

Sookie giggled then, the banter between Pam and Eric continuing.

* * *

They were standing in the middle of Costco, after lunch when Sookie got hit with a dizzy spell. She'd been walking in front of the cart reaching for a package of dried mango when she grabbed the cart quickly

"Sookie?" Eric asked with concern

"Just a dizzy spell" she replied smiling at him

"There has got to be something we can do about this" he told her, standing beside her for support as she took a few deep breaths

"I'm not sure what" Sookie said, taking his hand in hers, "I'm fine, I just need to slow down I think, and we need to get that prescription for Vitamins filled"

"I'll stop at the pharmacy on the way home, we can drop it off then and after unloading the groceries I can run back out to get it"

"We can go together" Sookie said smiling at him "I don't want to be at the apartment without you"

"But I want you to rest Sookie" he said looking at her

"You think I am gonna rest at that apartment without you there?" she asked

"How about you sit upstairs with Amelia while I run back?"

"How about I run back with you so I can pick up a few other things?" she negotiated grinning at him

"I give I give" Eric said pressing his lips to her "But you are in bed tonight, early"

"Promise?" she purred leaning into him, arching her eyebrow at him

* * *

Bill saw Sookie standing at pharmacy counter; she was talking to the pharmacist. He saw her hand a small slip of paper to the man behind the counter.

Bill wondered what it was. He knew she had a prescription for Ambien, he'd been in her apartment 4 months ago. When she'd first refused his advances. He'd pulled a few strings at the DMV and gotten her address and it wasn't difficult to break into a bottom level apartment. He went through her things and found no evidence of a boyfriend. She wasn't even on birth control.

He did notice the way Northman looked at her when they'd been in his office not that long ago. It made him nervous. Northman's reputation for being a playboy on the West Coast was very well known. He didn't want him setting his sights on his Sookie.

The dinner he'd had with Felicia the night before had been very informative. She'd told him how Eric had broken off with her and about her tragic miscarriage. It made Bill hate Eric Northman even more.

Watching Sookie smile at the pharmacist, he was struck by her beauty again. She was so sweet, so tender. He watched her bite her lower lip as she listened to the pharmacist explain something. When they nodded at each other and Sookie turned he lost sight of her walking down another aisle.

Bill made his way through the store, looking up and down all the aisles with no luck. He'd lost her. Shrugging his shoulders, he left the store, he knew where she lived, he'd find out what she was up to later.

* * *

Eric pulled up to the drug store and dropped Sookie off so she could drop off her prescription. Driving the parking lot, he waited for her to come back out. It was a few minutes before he saw her again, standing just outside the door as he pulled up.

"Need a ride?" he asked as she sat down in the car

"Only if you're going my way" she answered as she shut the door and he pulled off

"Do you habitually get in strange cars with strange men?" he smiled

"Yep" Sookie giggled taking his hand in hers "I talked to the pharmacist; he thought that the vitamins would help the dizzy spells, he thought it sounded like anemia. And he did think that I should tell the doctor"

"Uh-huh" Eric said turning out of the shopping center "So do you want to call her Monday?"

"I will" Sookie promised "He also said if I take my vitamin at night, I'll have a better absorption rate with the iron"

"Did he say when it would be ready?" Eric asked "For pickup I mean"

"He said about 20 minutes"

"That's long enough for us to drop the groceries and come back" he replied with a smile


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Sunday, Eric got word from Damon that the house was theirs. They were at the hospital visiting Victor and Sandy when Eric got the call. He'd left the room hoping it was information on the goons that had tried to attack Sookie, but was pleasantly surprised by the news on the house.

They had decided to tell Sandy and Victor about the pregnancy. Victor was hoping to be released on Saturday and had developed a small temperature, so the hospital had delayed his departure by a few days. The pregnancy news seemed to cheer everyone up.

Eric waited to tell Sookie about the house until after they were home. He was hoping to surprise her with it.

They left the hospital around dinner time, having decided to stop for salads on the way home, Sookie seemed to be craving chicken Caesar salads.

They were in the car when Eric noticed Sookie kept watching him.

"What's the matter?" he asked glancing at her out of the corner of his eye

"You're up to something" she said

They'd already grabbed dinner and were on the way home by this point.

"I'm not" he said

"Eric….you look like the cat that swallowed the canary….what gives?" Sookie said laughing at him

"Nothing" he said, maneuvering the car through a cloverleaf exit near the apartment.

"Liar" she said smiling

"Tired?" he asked glancing at her

"ERIC!" Sookie exclaimed "What is going on?"

"Nothing lover, just checking on my girls" he said, his hand sliding to her belly

"Girls? What if it's a boy?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at him

"It's a girl" he said

"You're sure?" she asked

"It doesn't matter Sookie, as long as everyone is happy and healthy, I will love whatever you give me" he said squeezing her hand

* * *

Bill watched Eric and Sookie leave the hospital. He was curious about their relationship now. Since meeting with Felicia, he'd been wondering about her accusations of infidelity, but watching them walk hand in hand to the car, he knew it to be true.

He followed them home, watching them walk downstairs to her apartment after pulling into the garage. It made his blood boil when he watched Eric put his hand on Sookie's back as they made their way through the breeze way of the apartment.

* * *

Sookie fed Bella after they walked in the apartment, as Eric set the salads on the table in the dining room.

He caught Sookie at the sink when she was washing her hands, pressing himself against her and kissing the back of her neck. He felt the shivers run through her,

"I thought you were hungry?" she asked, her hands moving behind her to his thighs as she leaned into him.

"I am" he said, his hands rising up to palms her breasts.

"For dinner?" she moaned, as she felt his fingers tweak her nipples

"Feed me Sookie" he said into her ear as they made their way to the bedroom

* * *

Bill stood outside her bedroom window and heard a very faint passionate cry. Shaking his head and looking down, he opened his phone.

Waiting for the other party to pickup he said "I'll help you, I had lunch with someone that you will want to talk to" he said closing his phone and walking away.

He felt so disappointed in his Sookie, how could she do this to him, to what they had, to their future.

* * *

Sookie and Eric were cuddled up in the bed, her head resting on his chest, his hand trailing up and down her arm.

"I love you" she told him

"I love you" he replied, pressing his lips to her head and squeezing her "I have a surprise" he said smiling

"I knew it" she grinned at him, propping herself up on an elbow

"We got the house" Eric said, looking up at her

"We got the house!" Sookie exclaimed, her eyes huge

"Yes, lover, It. Is. Ours" he said smiling and pulling her back to him "We will move on Wednesday"

"We have to pack" Sookie said, looking around

"I want you to take more time off" Eric said

"I can't take more time off Eric, don't be silly, I'll have to work as much as possible until we have the baby" she told him "Then I'll take maternity leave and we'll decide from there what to do"

"Sookie, it would be better for you if you took some more time off, the doctor wants you to rest as much as possible and limit your stress, we don't need to money…take the time off…I'd rather you quit altogether but I know that won't happen" he said

"Eric….I don't know how to not work" she said slowly "What do you mean we don't need the money?"

"Sookie, we have more than enough money, sweetheart I know we haven't had a chance to really go into this, but I own Unity. I have investors, but I could buy them out with no problem" he told her his eyes watching her every movement.

Sookie took a moment to respond "Own? As in it is all yours, you OWN the damn company?" she said blinking quickly

Eric smiled and nodded "I own it. My parents were very well off and when they passed, they split everything between Pam and I. I took part of what I inherited and invested it for later in life, and I took another part and started Unity. I still have quite a bit left over, Sookie, you could shop every day and it wouldn't dent what we have" he told her gently

"Eric, I …..don't want your money" she said, hyperventilating

"Its our money Sookie, yours and mine, you are going to be my wife and the mother of my children" he said

Sookie climbed out of bed then, grabbing her robe and pulling it on as she walked to the kitchen. Eric was quickly behind her, wrapping his robe around him.

"You're mad?" he asked, shocked

"I don't know" she said quickly "Its not my money, I can take care of myself" she told him quickly, her eyes moving quickly around the room, her hand holding her forehead "I don't want handouts"

"Sookie, its not a handout" Eric said, pulling her to him, but she pushed him away "Sookie" he said sharply

"I don't know how I feel about this Eric" she told him shaking her head "I want to work, I need to feel useful"

"I guess taking care of our child isn't enough is it?" he asked angrily "You need to get a grip Sookie, I just told you that you won't have to work, you get to stay home and have children or do whatever you want and you are mad at me?"

"No….I don't know….I…." Sookie said

"Well I think you need to figure it out" Eric told her "You want me to be penniless?" he asked laughing sarcastically

"No" Sookie said quietly "I just want you" she said looking down "I don't care about the money, I just want you" she whispered

Eric pulled her back to him, this time Sookie let him "You have me lover, and we have resources to make sure our children" he said grazing his knuckles against her belly, "never want for anything"

"I never thought I'd be able to stay home" she whispered, wrapping her arms around him "But Eric, I don't want to embarrass you, you saw where I was raised, I don't have all the fancy training Ladies have" she said, her head down

"Sookie" he said, lift her face with his chin "You are everything I want lover, I love you"

Eric pressed his lips to hers then, holding her close. Pulling back, he looked at her "Lets feed you and my son" he said smiling

Sookie nodded, squeezing him for a moment before moving to the table to eat

"We have to move" she said

"I'll contact the moving companies, we'll get estimates, this will be effortless for you" he promised feeding her a bite

* * *

Monday morning Eric drove to the office early. He needed to finalize some paperwork with Damon and get the names of local moving companies. His calendar was full, with an investor telecom scheduled for 1p. It was scheduled to last the majority of the afternoon.

He was answering email when he heard Sookie and Amelia arrive around 9:30.

* * *

Bill answered his office phone Monday morning "I will bring Felicia by this evening, email me your address" he said

"Sookie is pregnant" the voice told him

"Pregnant?" Bill said, blinking "I assume its his?" he asked

"Yes, they are moving soon too, but I don't have an address yet"

"We'll talk tonight" Bill said, hanging up his phone

* * *

Sookie pulled on her blue pencil skirt and noticed when she was zipping it up, it was a bit snug. With a sigh, she pulled it off, and grabbed a black skirt that was usually a bit roomier, she saved her for PMS days. It fit. Shaking her head, she made a mental note to start looking for local maternity shops.

She grabbed a pale blue short sleeve blouse and after tucking it into her skirt, slid her feet into a pair of flats. She was going to limit her time in heels whenever possible.

Popping some hard candy into her purse, she grabbed a cranberry juice and her purse and headed up to Amelia.

The girls took Sookie's car to the office. They chattered like old friends the entire way, teasing and carrying on. Sookie pulled into a parking space next to Eric's rental car.

Swiping her badge she walked into the building and took Amelia to security.

"Sam, this is Amelia, she is Eric's EA from California, we need to get her badged, with the same access I have" Sookie said smiling

"Amelia, this is Sam, he is our GOD of security"

Sam laughed "Sookie is our office GODDESS" he replied, hugging her and shaking Amelia's hand "You have the best mentor" he said nodding to Sookie as he looked at Amelia.

They chatted for a while after Sam took her picture, waiting for her badge to print.

When they left the security office, they went up to Sookie's office. They greeted Cheryl and Sookie made the introductions as Amelia looked around. Stepping into Eric's office she giggled "Its smaller"

"Brat" Eric said turning around in his chair to see Amelia standing in the doorway.

"I'm just surprised that you are accepting such small accommodations" she giggled

"He does seem to have an obsession with size" Sookie said stepping in behind Amelia.

"You're ganging up on me?" Eric cried in mock shock

Sookie giggled then, "Come on, we can take refuge next door" she said moving out of the office and walking towards Victor's. Opening the door, she walked to the desk and docked her laptop.

Amelia was right behind her "Is this your office?" she asked looking around in disbelief

"Its Victor's office, I got Cheryl when the accident happened and I moved in here to take over for Victor" Sookie explained

"I've got the names of moving companies" Eric said walking in and sitting in a chair, he handed Sookie a sheet of paper, "Can you work with them for estimates? I have an investor call this afternoon and I anticipate it being a while"

"Yep" Sookie smiled, taking the paper from him, her ring flashing on her hand. Eric caught her wrist and turning her hand up, placed a kiss on her palm.

"Alright you two" Amelia said, smiling as she watched them "Cut it out" she stepped forward then "I can start calling these folks and setting up appointments for this afternoon" she volunteered "You check your email and take care of whatever is needed here and we can leave at lunch time" Amelia suggested "I'll meet the folks with you and we can go shopping after"

"I like it" Sookie said turning around and walking to the chair behind the desk

Eric looked at Amelia and mouthed the words "Thank you" to her, Amelia winked her reply

"I noticed today, some of my clothes are snugger than I want" Sookie said with a sigh

"I'm thinking that will continue" Eric said grinning as he stretched his legs out in front of him

"I do hear it is a common side affect of pregnancy" Amelia replied with a straight face

"Sarcasm doesn't seem your style" Sookie commented as she flipped through her email "Eric, I am sending you an email for Amelia to have access to the systems here, reply all and approve it please"

"Got it" Eric smiled as Amelia listened

"I am also giving you my client meetings for the next few days, do you need me to move anything on your calendar to accommodate? You have to attend these, you've already met most of them anyway, and we have a dinner on Thursday its an awards banquet, black tie, we have to go" Sookie rattled off

Amelia sat down then "Sookie why aren't you the executive?" she grinned

"Cause I'm the admin" Sookie grinned back looking over her shoulder

* * *

Felicia answered her phone with sleep in her voice "Hello?"

"We have dinner plans, you will need to tell your story again. You need to convince our guest to help us, and if you succeed she will be able to help us destroy Eric….and Sookie" Bill told her

"Ok" Felicia said slowly, wiping the sleep from her eyes

"You still asleep?" he asked grinning

"I was" she answered

"Well get up, there is much to do and the day is young" Bill told her, "I'll pick you up at 6pm"

Before Felicia could reply, Bill hung up

* * *

Damon shook his head, it was Monday and he still had no information on the would be attackers. The authorities were unable to identify the two men and the men, refused to talk, even to their attorney.

If they couldn't be identified, they couldn't be arraigned on the charges.

* * *

Amelia and Sookie left the office around noon, after saying goodbye to Eric, they were on the road heading out for lunch.

They stopped at a local salad shop and quickly ate. Sookie had barely changed when the first appointment showed up. The rest of the afternoon was a blur. She found she was too tired to shop after the last moving company left.

She sat down on the couch, stretching her legs out in front of her and was asleep before she knew it. Amelia grabbed a throw blanket and draped it over her as she moved around the apartment feeding Bella and cleaning out her litter box.

She looked in the fridge and sent Eric a text message "Sookie napping, what do you want to do for dinner?"

"Need to find a housekeeper for new house" was his response

"I agree, dinner?"

"What do you want? I'm open, low salt for Sookie" he replied

* * *

Felicia's fork hit the floor when she heard "Sookie is pregnant" she was shocked. Eric had certainly wasted no time replacing her.

"She's….pregnant?" she asked her eyes falling on Bill and their hostess

"Yes, and they are getting married, she has a rock on her finger"

"I didn't know that" Bill said quietly

"Yes, it's all happened quickly"

They finished their meal in silence, each person lost in their thoughts.

It was their hostess who broke the silence, their plates having been cleared away. "I want them gone, I want them both destroyed" she said

"I think we can all agree with that" Felicia said

"I agree" Bill commented "If Northman loses his company, it leave the business market open for me" he said "But Sookie is very well connected in this town"

They began plotting then, the only way to make sure Sookie couldn't stop them was to make sure she was discredited.

"We'll have to discredit her" Felicia said, her voice full of venom

"Or, she'll just need to….disappear"

"Disappear?" said Bill

"Yes, as in permanently, never to return"

"That would enjoyable" Felicia said "I would love her to be gone" _'It would leave Eric open to me again, I will have to make sure I am there to comfort him in his time of need'_ she thought, smirking to herself

"What about the baby?" Bill asked

"Can we determine who her doctor is? If they can be bought, we can make sure the doctor eliminates that little issue, in fact, if handled correctly, they could eliminate the baby and Sookie"

"I have some sources, I'll see if that can be determined" Bill said, thinking getting back into her apartment wouldn't be that difficult.

"Let's start there, call me in a week and we will see what we have and what we can accomplish"


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Tuesday was a blur for Sookie. She was between vendors and moving companies and interviews for a housekeeper. She collapsed in exhaustion Tuesday evening before Eric was home. Amelia had kept her company most of the day, stepping out only when running to the grocery store for dinner, which turned out to be a stir fry she whipped together at the last minute.

Eric had a crazy day as well, he was finalizing the details of the merger, hoping to have it complete by next Monday. He was also trying to get everything done that he could in hopes of being off the remainder of the week for moving. He was not coming in on Wednesday so that he could be on hand for Sookie.

He walked into the apartment and noticed how quiet it was. He saw Amelia sitting on the sofa smiling as he walked into the bedroom. He found Sookie in bed, Bella cuddled up next to her purring. He changed quietly, pulling on pajama pants and a shirt and walked out to Amelia.

"Big day?" he asked, looking around at various half packed boxes

"Yes, tomorrow will be nuts, but she ate well and was almost asleep as we sat at the table" Amelia said smiling at him

"Good, she needs the sleep" Eric said grinning

"I've had a very odd feeling today, I think you are leaving just in time" Amelia told him, she'd noticed odd noises most of the day, and had the weirdest feeling of being watched

As she was explaining it to Eric, she noticed his was looking at all the windows, making sure the blinds were down and locked.

After everything that had happened, Eric was taking no chances, Damon had still not been able to determine who had sent the goons, they not yet identified.

Amelia pulled out a plate of the stir fry and set it in front of him, "Sookie put this aside for you" she said smiling at him

Eric ate quickly, his own exhaustion consuming him as they discussed the final details of the merger, he told Amelia that he was hoping it would be done for announcement on Monday.

Eric was locking the door behind Amelia 20 minutes later. He turned off the lights in the apartment and crawled into bed, pulling a sleeping Sookie into him as he snuggled up behind her.

They were both awakened some time later with a rough pounding on the door, Eric was out of bed in a flash

"Who is it?" he demanded

"Fire Department, you must evacuate the building" he heard on the other side of the door, he heard lots of noise in the hallway, opening the door and found a firefighter in uniform standing there, "Gas leak, everyone out" he was told roughly,

Eric shut the door, and heard Sookie pulling on a bra and grabbing Bella and a bag to put her into. Eric grabbed her purse and stuffed his wallet into it along with his keys while they both slipped on flip flops.

Walking into the hall, Sookie was hit with the smell of gas, her head started spinning immediately as Eric stepped up behind her.

"Sookie?" he said watching her

Sookie was fighting to keep her eyes open, with a curse, Eric took Bellas bag from her and quickly slipped it over his shoulder, while he picked Sookie up and made his way up the stairs.

He found the front parking lot full of emergency crews, and he almost ran to an ambulance, setting Sookie down on a stretcher,

"She's pregnant" he told him, "only a few weeks"

The attendants were fastening an oxygen mask on her face as Amelia came running over, she was still in her clothes. She took Bella's bag from him and started talking to the cat hoping to calm her down while she watched them attend to Sookie.

* * *

Bill waited to place the call for the gas leak. He worked the pipe himself, making sure the smell would be unmistakable.

He watched as they evacuated the building and as Eric carried Sookie upstairs.

'_I hope she loses the brat'_ he thought to himself bitterly _'would serve her right after laying with him, she should be with me'_

He waited until the firefighters had completely evacuated the building and then he approached, quietly, slipping into the apartment he knew would be unlocked. He'd been watching most of the day, waiting for his opportunity to get in to find out her doctors name.

Bill didn't lock the door behind him, it would be easier to hide than to explain a locked door, but he was careful to stay as quiet as possible and he moved through the medicine cabinet.

It took some time, but he found her bottle of prenatal vitamins in the kitchen. He snapped a picture of the label with his phone, making sure it was readable and walked out of the apartment unnoticed by all.

Walking into the ditch a good distance away, he walked across the highway to the apartment complex nearby and climbed into his parked car, where he quickly wrote down the information he'd gotten off the bottle onto a sheet of paper. He then made a phone call

"I got it"

"Who is the doctor?"

"Dr. Claudine Brigant" he said

"Good, I'll take it from here"

* * *

Sookie was finally released from the ambulance as the gas leak was cleared and the residents were allowed back into the building.

Eric was hovering until he saw she was ok. They crawled into bed not long after returning to the apartment, but Eric was unable to sleep.

He walked through the apartment multiple times, something was right, something was wrong and he couldn't figure out what it was. It was an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Walking into the kitchen, he grabbed a glass of water and drank it down. It was then he noticed the bottle of vitamins sitting on the counter. On the counter opposite where he'd set them earlier in the day.

* * *

AN: I know its short, but very necessary...just wait...I promise :) :) :)


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 35

Eric was up before Sookie the next morning. He left the apartment, locking the door behind him and called Amelia as he was pulling out of the garage to keep an eye on things until he got back.

He called Damon next, arranging for them to meet quickly for breakfast at a restaurant nearby.

The vitamin bottle bugged him. He'd dropped it in a plastic bag last night; it wasn't like Sookie or him to leave things laying around. And after all they'd just been through he wasn't about to let her take pills that could have been tampered with.

Calling Dr. Brigant just before arriving at the restaurant, he left a message with Linda for her to call him so he could explain the need for a new prescription.

Damon was already at the table waiting for him. Sliding into a seat, Eric smiled tensely and explained the happenings of the previous night.

"Get the prints off of this" he said, handing the plastic bag to Damon, who nodded his reply and dropped the bag into his briefcase.

"I think its time we start looking into guards for you and Sookie" Damon told him "It's not just you anymore, you're going to have a family soon, they cannot be around you all the time"

Eric stared at him for a moment, shocked "Guards?" he asked

"Just a couple, nothing like an entourage Eric, but a team of maybe 3 or 4 so that they can rotate and assist" Damon explained "You'll have room for them in the house, you can turn the basement into a security area for them"

"All right, get me some information and I'll go over it with Sookie. I started telling her about _things_" he said stressing the word across the table

"Good!" Damon smiled, "How did she take it?"

"She was upset at first, I told her I didn't want her to work" Eric grinned "But we talked through it and she is fine, but I still have more to tell her before we're done"

They talked until the food arrived and switched topics to the wedding and baby for the remainder of their meal.

Eric was in the car, on the way home, when the Drs office called him back.

"Dr. Brigant, I've handed the bottle of prenatal vitamins over to my lawyer, I'm afraid someone may have tampered with them last night" he told her explaining the gas leak to her "Would it be possible to get another prescription?"

"If you agree to take it to another pharmacy, yes, I can write another prescription for them. But I want to see Sookie Friday. With all the stress I want to check her blood levels again"

Eric was pulling into his garage then. Arranging for an appointment time, he shut his phone and got out of his car.

He walked into the apartment and was caught up in the hustle bustle of last minute packing.

* * *

The movers arrived at 1pm and started hauling furniture out, along with the boxes that had been packed and labeled. Amelia greeted them while Eric forced Sookie to go to lunch.

Eric was determined to keep Sookie's stress level as low as possible. Forcing her to go grocery shopping after lunch. They had gone light on things the weekend before but Eric forced her to buy enough food to stock the house they were moving into.

When they were done, instead of returning to the apartment, he drove them to the new house. He'd made a silent decision that he wasn't letting Sookie go back to the apartment.

He unloaded the car while she stated putting things away. He'd carried in the last of the load and set it on the counter when she commented

"I think we should look into getting a freezer, a standalone type"

"Ok" he replied easily

"I also think I want to start looking into buying our own cow from the Farmers out in Winchester" she told him "We can pick up the meat from the butcher directly and know that it's not loaded with antibiotics and stuff. It will be healthier for all of us"

"It sounds better, start looking into the names and we can decide this weekend" he told her, helping her put things in the pantry.

"I can't find my vitamins" Sookie told him

"I called the doctor today, she is going to give you a new prescription" he told her, "She is phoning it into the grocery store, when its ready, someone will call"

Sookie looked at him with a puzzled expression on her face "Later lover, we can discuss it later" he promised as he pressed his lips to hers.

Nodding, Sookie smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back. "I love you" she said

"I love you too" he said, backing her up to the island and sitting her up on it. "I've missed you" he told her pressing kisses down her throat as his hands made their way up to her breasts.

Sookie moaned in his mouth, leaning into his hands. "Won't they be here soon?" she breathed

"Does it matter?" he asked smirking at her

"I don't want anyone to see us" she giggled

Eric arched an eyebrow at her and picking her up, his hands under her bottom, he carried her up the back stairs, to their bathroom. Setting her on his vanity, he began kissing her again.

"You know" he said, kissing his way down her throat, and unbuttoning Sookie's shirt as he moved down "We will have to christen every room here"

Sookie moaned, arching her back into him, as his lips grazed her nipple through her bra. She felt him reaching behind her and moments later his mouth on her bare skin, sucking her nipple into his warm mouth. "Eric" she moaned, running her hands through his hair as she pushed up into him.

Eric's hands moved to the tops of her leggings then, his fingers moving around the waistband. "Please" she begged, rotating her hips against him "I want you inside me"

Eric pushed his hand down the front of her pants, silently thanking god for knit, when they heard the door open downstairs "HELLO!" Amelia called out

"Just a minute" Eric replied back, his fingers grazing Sookie's core, which he found drenched.

He quickly slid his fingers inside of her, pressing against her nub with his hand as he worked her quickly.

Sookie bit her lip to keep from crying out "Someone might hear" she whispered her hands clutching his shoulders as she opened her legs for him

"Cum for me Sookie" he said firmly as he continued working her, ignoring her words.

It was only moments before he felt her tense under him, her walls gripping him tightly, signaling her release as her juices coated his hand. "I like you pregnant" he smirked at her, pulling his fingers back and lifting to his face, he licked them clean "I love you pregnant" he said, pressing soft kisses against her throat again.

"Go check the movers" she said breathlessly "I need to pull myself back together" she giggled before he pressed his lips to hers

"I love you" he told her

"I love you" she replied back, wrapping her legs and arms around him for another kiss before letting him go.

* * *

Eric spent the afternoon directing the movers with furniture while Sookie unpacked kitchen boxes. If she could get the kitchen somewhat organized she would feel like she lived in the home and it would settle her nerves.

Eric finally told her the bedroom was set up and she could take care of things in there when she was half done with the kitchen. Smiling she kissed him as she passed him walking up the stairs to put sheets and blankets on their bed.

Sookie was a bit stunned when she walked in the room, while in her apartment they had almost been cramped; her furniture looked dwarfed in the new bedroom. She hunted through a few boxes before finding the one she wanted with her bed linens. After making the bed, and hanging towels in the bathroom, she found Amelia in the doorway holding pillows and a smile

"How you doing, Sunshine?" Amelia asked as she watched Sookie lay on the bed

"I need like 8 more hours of sleep" Sookie said grinning as she sank on the mattress

"Sookie?" Eric called from downstairs

"Up here" she answered back, listening as he walked up the stairs

"I'm running out Lover, I'll be back shortly, Amelia, keep her out of trouble" he said smiling as he leaned over to press his lips to hers

"I don't need a babysitter" she told him

"No you don't, but I'm concerned after last night's gas leak and want to make sure nothing happens to either of you" he said softly pressing his hand to her belly

"Can you get me some of that cranberry pomegranate juice?" she asked

"Yep" he smiled back "got an addiction to it?"

Sookie giggled in return, "I don't know if it's an addiction or craving" she watched as Eric turned and walked out of the room, her eyes glued to his behind as he walked away

"Sex on a stick" Amelia mumbled

"I know he is" Sookie agreed "And the things he can do, would make you cry"

"I miss Trey" Amelia moaned, rolling over and stuffing her head in a pillow

"When is he coming out?" Sookie asked

"He is cuming as soon as he gets here" Amelia giggled

Sookie rolled her eyes "That isn't quite what I meant, but thank you for sharing" she giggled

"I think this weekend" Amelia said, "Not soon enough"

* * *

"I don't care what you have to do, you make sure they cannot be traced back to me" Felicia yelled into the phone before throwing it across the room.

Her plans were not working out, she was going to have to work with Bill and his contact on this and she didn't like that, not one bit.

* * *

Eric pulled into the grocery store parking lot. He picked up Sookie's new prescription and grabbed her cranberry juice and a few other things before making his way to the checkout line.

He was reading the magazine covers when he saw his face splashed with a small picture of Amelia on a gossip newsprint magazine. Grabbing it up, he read "Eric Northman's trysts"

He looked at the pictures inside; it was Amelia stepping into his apartment the night she arrived. He'd already moved to Sookie's. "Fuck" he mumbled under his breath before paying the cashier and walking to his car.

After sitting down, he called Damon to report the problem asking him to please take care of it.

He stopped by Amelia's apartment, to pick up Bella, where they'd moved her to avoid the commotion of the movers and headed back to his new home.

Walking in the front door, Eric smiled "Home" he said quietly as he listened for a moment to Sookie laughing upstairs. It was a sound he wanted to hear frequently.

He made his way up the stairs, holding Bella's carrier and stepped into their bedroom, finding the girls in the same spot he'd left them.

"Look who I found" he said setting the carrier on the bed facing Sookie

"Meow" Bella said slowly

"My baby" Sookie gushed, reaching out to open the carrier and pull the cat close. Bella allowed Sookie to hold her, even tucking her head under Sookie's chin for a brief few moments. Sookie grinned when she started to struggle and set her down. Bella shot off like a bullet to explore the new house, starting with their bedroom.

Eric laughed and handed Sookie her new vitamins before heading down to the kitchen to put the juice in the fridge. He walked back out to his car to grab Bella's litter box and food dishes, bringing them into the house, before returning to the bedroom to find Sookie and Amelia talking about the bathroom.

They were sitting in the empty bathtub facing each other, discussing decorating the space.

"It might work better if you filled it with water" Eric smirked leaning against the doorframe looking at them

"In your wet dreams" Amelia grinned

Eric arched his eyebrow at her causing Sookie to giggle.

* * *

**AN: Hope you enjoyed...Now here is my request for ya'll...aside from the normal need for a review (hint hint)... **

**_I need a beta_...desperately...anyone interested please PM me.**


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Bill walked in his front door, it was quiet in his house.

He made his way to the bedroom, and found Lorena sitting up in bed watching TV.

"Good Evening darling" he said walking over to her side to press his lips to her

"I missed you" she said wrapping her arms around his neck

"I know, I worked late tonight, it will be a bit crazy for a few more months, I'm sorry" he said pressing his lips to her neck.

"It's alright" she breathed "I love you and you love me, the rest will fall into place" she told him as he pressed her back into the bed.

Bill grinned down at her seeing Sookie's face and his hands moved up her legs and pulled off her nightgown

* * *

Thursday allowed Sookie and Eric to spend time in the new house together. Unpacking, decorating and making room for Eric's belongings from California that were due to arrive over the weekend.

They shared lunch with Amelia and Pam at a small pub nearby, once they returned home, Sookie managed to climb the stairs and crawl into bed for a nap.

Eric took the time to make some phone calls and check his email. He saw an email from Damon and called him first.

"Eric! Good news good news" Damon told him "It's done, the merger is complete, it's all yours" he told him on the phone

"It's done?" Eric asked, smiling as he leaned back in his chair at the small table they'd brought from Sookie's apartment.

"It's all done, you'll need to finalize the internal workings to make it one company but all the money has been transferred and it's a done deal" Damon replied answering his question

"Thank you!" Eric said "I'll need to call marketing to have a statement released" he said, thinking outloud.

"Yes, yes I would get that taken care of, have to decided on security?" Damon asked "Once this is released, you'll become a bigger target"

"I've not talked to Sookie yet, but I'm ok with arranging for some guards and shadows" Eric told him, "See who you can get in touch with and we'll start the interview process over the weekend"

"I'll be in touch" Damon told him

"Damon" Eric said before they hung up

"Yes?"

"Any word back on the fingerprints on the bottle?" he asked

"I am expecting it from the lab today" Damon replied

"Thank you" Eric said "Have them check the pills as well I need to know if they are trying to tamper with Sookie or just scare us"

"Will do" Damon replied.

Eric closed his phone, and looked out the windows at the trees surrounding the house. While happy the merger was done, he was unsettled at the problems arising, he would not put Sookie or the baby into jeopardy.

He called Lafayette next, telling him that all the details were finalized and to release a press statement for the announcement.

"Got it done already bossman, I'll email it to you in just a moment" Laff told him "How's our girl?"

"Napping" Eric said smiling, "Want me to have her call you when she wakes?"

"Yes sir Mr. Bossman, yes sir" Laff giggled into the phone

"I just got your email, I'll review it and send back in a moment" Eric said looking at his screen before closing his phone.

* * *

Felicia handed the wad of cash to the man standing in front of her.

"Whatever it takes, make it go away" she said to him, earning a nod in return. "And nobody knows about it" she hissed

She walked away then, out of the alley and into the hotel beside her, smoothing her hair as she walked in.

'_This cannot be linked back to me'_ she thought to herself as she walked into her suite, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Amelia walked into the house quietly, and towards the kitchen first, hoping to find Eric without Sookie. She was in luck, he was sitting at the table, laptop open, cell phone beside him and Sookie nowhere in sight.

"She's napping" Eric said as he heard her footsteps approaching, he smiled and leaned back from the pc

"Here's my thought, I'll move into the her office temporarily, let's keep the temp for now, if nothing else, she can guard the phones and provide back up support to Sookie and Victor, but at least I can get in and get some control back to the chaos"

"That's fine, but you have to work with Sookie on all the contacts. I've learned Amelia, its different here than in California, we need Sookie and her way of doing things, folks just seem to melt for her" he said

"Ok" Amelia said smiling at him "I think you should change her role"

"I agree, just not sure what it should be yet" Eric said "But first I need to announce the completion of the merger, Damon told me earlier, it's done"

"That's wonderful!" Amelia said jumping up and down for a moment.

"I am also hiring security" Eric told her, "Guards for Sookie and I and shadows for the property"

"Ok" Amelia said "That's what you had before"

"I know, I also want to move you into the apartment over the pool house" he said, "I don't trust the complex anymore, we can talk about that later"

Amelia nodded and made no comment.

"I'm not planning on going back to the office until Monday, why don't you meet me there early and we'll go over everything" Eric suggested

"Works for me" Amelia said smiling "You should wake her soon, or she'll have problems sleeping tonight"

Eric nodded and got up off the chair, stretching for a moment and went to wake Sookie for dinner.

They enjoyed a leisurely dinner, discussing California, Trey, and what type of wedding Sookie wanted.

* * *

Eric woke early on Friday. He stretched and smiled in bed, feeling Sookie pressed up against him. Noticing that she felt warmer than before, he pressed a soft kiss to her neck.

"Lover?" he whispered "We have to go to the doctor today" he reminded her softly

Sookie moaned and rolled over, stuffing her head under a pillow.

Eric chuckled then, and moved his hand to rest on her belly, noticing a small bump forming.

"I'll start the shower" he told her, tossing the covers off as he sat up in bed

Sookie yawned and opened an eye, looking around the room and found Bella sitting on a dresser starting at her. "I'll feed you in a few minutes" she told the cat and was rewarded with a lazy yawn.

Moving toward the shower, Sookie pulled her nightgown off hanging it on a hook on the door. She climbed in and felt a hard body pressing into her.

"You're up" he chuckled into her ear as she stood under the spray

"Mmmm So are you" she grinned back "Come here often?"

"Every chance I get" he replied, his hands moving up to her breasts, as he gently sucked an earlobe into his mouth

"Aren't we going to the doctor?" Sookie asked

"Yes" he replied with a sigh stepping away from her

"I'll meet you back at your place afterwards" she grinned wrapping an arm around his neck and pressing her lips to his

They emerged from their shower a few minutes later to dry off and dress. Sookie pulled on a pair of brown yoga pants and a blue tshirt with a denim button up shirt overtop.

Eric pulled on a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt before sliding his feet into a pair of flip flops and grabbing his car keys.

"Ready?" he asked downstairs after Sookie fed Bella

"Yep" she replied grabbing her purse and his hand before following him out to the car

They arrived at the doctor's office without incident, Eric did notice that the travel time from their house took longer than it did from the apartment.

Linda greeted them as they walked in and led them back to the exam room.

The appointment went smoothly, Dr. Brigant asking questions, taking Sookie's temperature and checking her blood pressure. The doctor finally looked at Eric then,

"You will need to switch doctors" she told him carefully "I've been threatened. Here is the name of someone I trust implicitly" she said handing him a small piece of paper "That is Dr Ludwig's name and number, I've already spoken with her, give her a call and set up an appointment, she is waiting to hear from you"

"What's happened?" Sookie asked looking from Eric to the doctor

"Sookie, there have been issues and I don't want your health or the baby's health compromised so I am referring you to someone I know can handle your case" Dr. Brigant told her, smiling at her calmly

"Threatened?" Sookie asked

"It's better this way" Dr. Brigant told her, "Dr. Ludwig is used to high profile cases, her security and client list are both top notch, please, take my advise" she told them and left the room.

"What is going on?" Sookie asked

"The merger has been approved and it seems that someone is trying to make trouble, we will be fine Sookie, let's go home and we can talk there" he told her, his eyes pleading with her to wait until they got home

Sookie nodded and after putting her shoes back on, left the room with Eric close behind her.

The car ride home was silent, Sookie looking out the window most of the time "I love the trees" she commented as turned near the house

Once they were in the house, she grabbed a cranberry juice and sat down at the table

"Start talking" she told him

"The merger is done, Lafayette should be releasing the statement today announcing it" he paused looking at her "Some folks are happy, some folks aren't happy about this, as a result, we have to watch our security more" he paused again as Sookie nodded "We are getting guards and the house will have shadow guards as well"

"Guards?" Sookie said looking at him "Like someone to follow me around all the time?"

"Yes" Eric replied

"No" Sookie said shaking her head "I don't want one"

"Sookie, I am not negotiation on this, it's for you and our baby, it will happen and you will accept it"

"The baby?" she said, her hand pressing against her stomach "What's with the doctor?"

"Dr. Ludwig will be able to ensure our security better than Dr. Brigant, it happens" he told her

"This isn't making sense Eric, I'll accept it when you tell me everything" she told him looking at him her eyes hard as rocks

"I don't want you worrying Sookie" he told her

"All of it Eric" she told him

"I don't think the gas leak at the old apartment was real, I think it was a hoax to get us out of the apartment" he told her, watching her closely "When we came back inside, your prenatal vitamins looked like they'd been tampered with"

Sookie's eyes got wide then, her breath caught in her throat "My baby" she said

"I wrapped the bottle and gave it to Damon, he is getting prints lifted off of it and is studying the pills to make sure nobody has tampered with them. I think the same person broke into Dr. Brigant's office as well"

"Oh God" she said, her eyes dropping as she tried to wrap her mind around the news "Eric, the baby" she told him

"I know, that is why the new vitamins and the trip to see the doctor today" he told her "I will call Dr. Ludwig later and we'll set up an appointment with her to get everything moved over"

His cell phone rang then, interrupting his conversation when he saw it was Damon.

* * *

Damon answered his office phone on the second ring,

"We have a match on the prints sir"

"Who are they?" he asked "I am assuming this is off the bottle I gave you"

"Yes we were able to get an exact match, as a matter of fact. They belong to a William Compton"

"Compton?" Damon said in shock

"Yes, we were able to match them based on his application for a security clearance last year, he is in the system"

"Were the pills tampered with?"

"We found traces of arsenic in them, while not a lot in each pill, arsenic will build in the system over time, and it would have been deadly to a fetus"

"I'll inform my client, thank you for your help" Damon said, hanging up his phone

He reached for his cell then, dialing Eric

"We have a match" Damon told him

"Who?" Eric asked immediately

"The prints matched to William Compton"

"CEO William Compton?" Eric asked surprise evident in his voice

"Yes, he applied for a security clearance last year, he was in the system, they were able to find a complete match" Damon explained

"Any word on the pills? Where they tampered with?"

"Eric….the pills were tampered with, they had arsenic in them, if Sookie had taken them it would have killed her and the baby" Damon told him quietly

* * *

Eric hung up with Damon and called Dr. Ludwig immediately. Sookie was still sitting at the table staring at him

"I need to schedule an appointment with Dr. Ludwig for my fiancée, immediately" he said, his eyes holding Sookie's

"No I'm sorry" he said into the phone "Next week isn't soon enough, I was referred to Dr. Ludwig by Dr. Brigant, my fiancée is expecting and we are concerned she may have ingested arsenic in her prenatal vitamins" he said as Sookie gasped.

She tried to breathe as she wrapped her arms around her stomach "My baby" she whispered her eyes getting wider as they filled with tears

"I'll bring her in immediately thank you" he said closing his phone and looking at Sookie for a moment

"We have to go" he told her quietly

"The baby" Sookie said, looking at him "Our baby" she said

"I know Sookie, but right now we need to get to the doctor and have her do the tests necessary" he said walking over to her and pulling her up from the chair gently

As they pulled out of the garage, Eric pulled Sookie's hand to him and after kissing it said "This is why we need guards Sookie, this is why"

"I'll agree Eric, I'll do whatever is needed to keep our family safe" she told him, trying to remain calm "But what are we going to do about Bill?"

"I'll think about that AFTER I know you and the baby are safe" he told her

"I'm a bad mother" Sookie said "I poisoned the baby" she whispered

"Sookie!" Eric said sharply "It was Bill Compton lover, you didn't do this"

* * *

Dr. Ludwig was a small woman with sharp eyes. Her office was near their new house and the drive took less than 15 minutes.

After Eric briefed her on what had been discovered and the problems he'd heard about from Dr. Brigant, she began to examine Sookie.

Sookie, after coming out of her shock decided she liked the little woman. Her bedside manner, while firm was also caring and full of warmth and logic.

Dr. Ludwig herself took Sookie's blood, and after giving it to a technician spoke to the couple.

"I will have the results of the blood test back tomorrow"

"When can we expect a call?" Eric asked

"As soon as I know" Dr Ludwig replied

"Is the baby ok?" Sookie said, trying to keep from crying

Dr. Ludwig rubbed her hand, "I think so child, but I won't know for sure until after your blood test, at worst you've taken maybe one dose of the arsenic, I sincerely doubt that will cause problems but we just won't know for sure until after those test results come back, I'm sorry"

Sookie nodded then, biting her lip as she took a jagged breath.

Looking at both of them Dr. Ludwig spoke again, "Go home and try to rest, I know it won't be easy, but try anyway, limit all caffeine and keep your feet up"

They left the office not long after and returned home, Sookie went upstairs and laid down across the bed, pulling Bella in close to her as she tried to think about anything but what was happening.

Eric let her go sensing she had a need for time alone with her thoughts, while he called Damon.

"Eric" Damon said answering the phone

"I was wondering how soon we could have a security company out here to set up an alarm system?" Eric asked

"There is someone coming this afternoon, I made the appointment when we finalized on the house, they will be installing everything before they leave" he told him "How is Sookie?"

"We switched doctors and won't know anything til tomorrow, they are doing a blood test now to determine if she took any of the arsenic"

"We will need to start changing some of your documents you know" Damon told him, reminding him gently about his need to speak with Sookie about everything

"I know, I started to talk to her but this has caused an interruption in the process" Eric said with a sigh

They spoke a bit longer and ended the call with Eric promising to let Damon know as soon as the doctor called.

* * *

The alarm servicemen arrived before dinner and found that there was existing wiring on all the entrance and windows. After testing everything they were able to activate the alarm with little problem, even installing motion detectors for certain areas.

Eric managed to get Sookie to eat some of a chicken Caesar salad he'd found at a small diner around the corner from the house.

She'd gone back to bed soon after eating. Bella following her up the stairs turned and meowed at Eric, who took it as a hint to follow.

Eric curled up behind her on the bed, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close. No words were spoken as the two laid together, content to be near each other while they waited for news.

* * *

**AN: Sorry it's been a while everyone! I am battling a flair up of carpal tunnel and its taking me a while to pound out keystrokes...I've gone from 89wpm to like 20wpm typing...as a result all of my stories are suffering**

**Read and review...I love all of your feedback and questions...who do you think the mystery person is with Bill and Felicia? The answer is coming...but it will be a while longer...**


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

"OH GOD ERIC!" Sookie said, opening her eyes, her hands clutching his hair, his head between her legs.

She'd only come back to reality moments ago, but the pleasure had her body tingling. It was only moments before she felt the now familiar tensing of her muscles, the tightening in her belly that signaled her release.

It was Eric's fingers that sent her over the edge. He was curling them inside her, touching that spot that he now seemed to find effortlessly.

As soon as Eric felt her walls clenching him, he smiled; he'd done his job. Quickly, he moved up, sliding his hard length into her drenched core. He felt her walls spasming around him as he thrust quickly into her, both of them breathing hard with the speed and intensity.

Sookie wrapped her legs around his waist, her hands clinging to his shoulders, her head moving from side to side on the pillows. Her orgasm stretching out, she felt him thicken inside of her, signaling his release as she finally started to float back into her body.

They were chuckling, their sweaty foreheads pressed together seconds later as Eric kissed her. "Good Morning," he mumbled quietly.

"Good Morning," Sookie replied, rubbing her head against his before reality came crashing back into her. Tears formed in her eyes as she looked down at his chest.

"Sookie, lover, stop it" he whispered, his hands moving up to hold her face. "Please Sookie, we will handle whatever it is" he promised her.

"It's my fault; I took those damn vitamins. I hurt my own baby!" Sookie said, tears falling from her eyes then.

"No!" Eric said forcefully as he rolled to lay beside her, pulling her close to him. "Sookie you took vitamins that were there for the baby's safety; you were doing the right thing. We had no clue anyone had tampered with them! We had no idea lover; you MUST stop this! It's not good for you or this baby." he said.

"I can't relax not knowing Eric; I just can't," she told him, tears falling harder.

"Sookie-"

"No!" she interrupted. "What if there is something wrong? What then? I'll have to decide if I continue with this pregnancy, or… terminate it." she said the last quietly.

"We will not decide anything until it's time Sookie. Right now, we know nothing lover. You are having our baby and it's healthy, and you need to stop stressing."

Sookie pushed away then, rising from the bed. "I can't," she said, walking towards the bathroom.

Eric heard her shut the door to the inner chamber of the bathroom before he got up. He walked to the bathtub, put the stopper in place and started filling the tub. When Sookie walked out to the sink, he wrapped his arms around her and whispered.

"We are taking a bath lover; I'll find a way to relax you."

Eric picked Sookie up and set her in the tub before sliding in behind her. He pulled her into him gently as he moved his hands down her arms to rub her hands.

* * *

Bill and Felicia were seated at the now familiar table in the now familiar home.

"I got into Brigant's office, but the happy couple switched doctors. I am not sure who they are with now," the woman told them, her eyes catching them both in a cold stare.

"It's not like I can get close right now!" Felicia replied angrily.

"They've moved also; I am in the process of getting a new address," Bill said.

"I'll get the address; did you plant the pills?"

"I did," Bill replied. "There was a gas leak at the apartment before they moved, and that is how we acquired the doctor's name."

"I'll see what I can find out through my channels."

"Why are you so anxious to do this? What is your gain in all of this?" Felicia asked.

"I see her as a threat, and I don't like threats."

"Interesting," Felicia said, arching her eyebrow.

"I don't really care if it is or not. She will be destroyed and that is what matters."

Bill remained quiet. He wasn't anxious to see Sookie destroyed, but he wanted her without a child, and without _Northman's_ child on top of that.

* * *

It was the ringing of Eric's cell phone that broke the calm mood that had overtaken the bathroom. They'd been soaking in the tub, their hands intertwined, Sookie laying against Eric's chest when they heard the chimes begin.

Sookie sat forward quickly as Eric left the tub to answer the phone, then walking back into the bathroom.

"Northman," he said answering the phone. He didn't recognize the number on his caller ID.

"Eric?" asked a female voice

"Yes?" Eric replied, a question in his tone "This is Eric"

"It's Dr. Ludwig" came the reply,

"Dr. Ludwig, we've been waiting for your call. Sookie is here with me." Eric volunteered.

"Good, I got the results of the tests. I wanted to let you know, you caught it on time. There was no arsenic in her blood, the baby is fine, and Miss Stackhouse is fine also."

Eric repeated the doctor's words to Sookie who started crying in relief.

"Thank you doctor," Eric said into the phone.

"I'll see you both at the next appointment in two weeks," Dr. Ludwig told him, "In the meantime limit the stress she and that baby are under and call if you need anything"

"Yes, I will," Eric said before closing his phone and closing his eyes for a moment. He took his first deep breath of the day and then, after setting the phone down on the counter, climbed in the tub behind Sookie to hold her.

"I told you," he said smugly after she'd finally stopped sobbing.

Sookie smacked him on the shoulder. "You don't have to be so smug!" she told him just before she pressed a kiss to his neck. "But I'm so glad you were right."

* * *

Amelia and Pam stopped by later that afternoon. They were taking Sookie dress shopping, something Eric had arranged without Sookie's knowledge so that he could interview the bodyguards that Damon was sending to the house.

It wasn't long after he got the women out of the house that the first of his appointments arrived.

He had 6 men he was scheduled to meet with, each one as qualified as the other. It was going to come down to personality and Eric's gut instinct.

He was sitting in the living room, after the last of the applicants had left, when he heard a knock on the door. Rubbing his forehead with his hand, he opened the door and found a woman standing on the doorstep.

"Is Sookie Stackhouse here?" she asked.

Eric arched an eyebrow at her. "She is out for the afternoon. My name is Eric, I am Sookie's fiancée. Can I help you?" he offered.

"I'm not sure," she said, shifting her eyes around looking behind her. "I'm Sookie's cousin, my name is Becky," she said looking down.

* * *

Sookie had been nervous at first. Being out and about with Pam and Amelia, while enjoyable, left her feeling vulnerable. After finding out about the attempted poisoning, she was reluctant to be separated from Eric for long.

It wasn't until Pam wrapped her arm around Sookie's shoulders and said "You need to let it go. You're fine, the baby is fine. Just put it down and stop fearing what might have been."

"How did you know?" Sookie asked, looking at her.

"Amelia told me," Pam replied quietly, looking at Amelia who was moving from dress rack to dress rack in the store they'd just walked into. "Eric will make sure there is never another chance Sookie. You have to try, for the baby's sake, to just put it down."

It was after that discussion that Sookie noticed that, between Amelia's chatter and Pam's one liners, she was able to forget the drama of the day and enjoy herself. She was in a fitting room trying on a wedding dress when her cell phone rang.

Noticing it was Eric, she answered, smiling. "Miss me already?"

"I always miss you when you're gone Lover," he replied easily. "But that's not why I'm calling," he told her, pausing for a moment. "You have a guest here; she is waiting for you."

"Who?" Sookie asked in surprise.

"Your cousin," Eric replied.

"Cousin?" Sookie answered drawing a blank.

"Becky," Eric replied quickly.

"I'll be right home," Sookie said closing her phone. "PAM!" she called through the dressing room.

"I'm coming, are you decent?" Pam asked before walking in the room.

"Just get in here! We have to get home; my cousin is waiting for me. Get me out of this dress!" Sookie said.

* * *

"I don't care what happens to that woman; I just want that baby gone. I am only hoping that with it gone, Eric will ditch her," Felicia said.

She was sitting in the passenger seat of Bill's car as he was driving towards her hotel.

"I want Sookie, but I agree. The child needs to go," he commented.

"You want her?" Felicia asked. "Aren't you married? Won't the wife have something to say about that?"

"She won't be finding out. I don't intend to keep her at home. I have some place special for my Sookie," Bill replied easily.

"Your Sookie?" Felicia asked.

"Your Eric, My Sookie," Bill commented evenly, pulling up in front of the hotel. "I'll be in touch," he said as she got out of the car.

* * *

Sookie ran from the car before Pam even had it in park. Running through the garage door into the kitchen she found Becky and Eric sitting at the table with mugs of what Sookie assumed was coffee.

"Becky?" Sookie said, stopping just inside the kitchen

"Sookie?" Becky said standing up

Sookie dropped her purse on the floor as she ran to through her arms around her cousin

"What are you doing here?" Sookie asked

"I'm sorry Sookie, I had to….I just….I couldn't take it anymore" she said, tears gathering in her eyes "Daddy was…he was…."

"Sookie, Becky needs to talk to you, privately, why don't you take her to one of the guest rooms and set up the air mattress, that way the two of you can catch up" Eric told her, he was standing behind Becky facing Sookie

Sookie nodded and steered the crying woman towards the main staircase by the front door, while Pam walked in the back door completely missing the exchange.

"What is going on?" she asked "Sookie was silent in the car"

"We have a guest Pam" Eric said quietly as Amelia walked in, shutting the door behind her

"Who?" Amelia asked

"Sookie's cousin, Becky" Eric said, his eyes never leaving Pam's

"Oh Shit" Pam said, moving forward to sit in a chair

"Oh, I hear a story coming" Amelia said pouring herself a cup of coffee and sitting opposite Pam as Eric joined them at the table "We'll all ears, now spill"

* * *

Sookie helped Becky up the stairs; her mind was racing a mile a minute. While happy to see Becky, she was stressed at what her unexpected visit might mean. Trying desperately to recall a recent conversation with Gran, Sookie was positive that Becky had run away from home again.

Sookie showed Becky a room down the hall from the master.

"Here Becky" Sookie said soothingly, "Hush now, try and relax a bit, do you need a shower sweetheart?"

"If it's not too much trouble, I would love it Sookie, I've got no place to go" Becky started crying again

"Stop that" Sookie said, hugging her close "We'll figure things out in a bit, I'm gonna run down to my room and grab some stuff, we've just moved in and I've not stocked the guest rooms completely yet"

Sookie made her way to her bathroom, grabbing a couple of towels and toiletries Becky would need. She made her way back to the bedroom and saw her cousin standing at a window looking outside and for the first time she actually saw the woman standing in front of her.

She was dressed in dirty clothes, pants torn and worn in places, flip flops on her feet, an oversized filthy jacket on over a top that was too tight and a bra that very obviously didn't fit. Her skin, normally a peaches and cream tone, was almost jaundiced in its appearance. Becky and Sookie as children used to tell strangers they were sisters because their hair was the exact same shade, but Becky's hair was a flat black matte color.

"Here" Sookie said quietly, handing the things to Becky, "Go ahead and jump in the shower, I'll find a change of clothes for you after I start the air mattress"

"Thank you Sookie" Becky said, hugging her close before walking into the bathroom and starting the water.

Sookie pulled the air mattress out of the closet and after unfolding it, started the pump attachment to fill the bed. Making a mental note to talk to Eric about a guest bed for some of the empty rooms, she walked back to her room and grabbed some sweatpants and a shirt for Becky. Pausing for a moment in front of her dresser, she also grabbed a couple of bras and underwear.

Stepping back into the bedroom, she set the clothes on the bed and unplugged the mattress pump, putting it away for the time being.

She stepped into the hallway, grabbing some sheets and a blanket from the hall closet to make the bed for her cousin. She heard the water stop moments later and Becky emerge from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, with a towel also wrapped around her hair.

"I brought some clothes, not sure if the bra will fit, but its clean and its something, go get dressed and I'll brush your hair when you come out, we can talk then" Sookie said smiling softly

Becky nodded, taking a deep breath and the clothes. It was only a few minutes later that she emerged from the bathroom in the clean clothes.

Sookie was sitting on the bed, and pointed at the floor in front of her for Becky to sit. Once Becky was settled on the floor between her legs, Sookie pulled the towel from around her hair, and noticed the black was gone.

Without commenting, she started parting and brushing out her cousins hair.

"Was your shower good?" Sookie asked

"Yes, thank you Sookie" Becky said "It was the first one I've had in about a week" she said quietly

Sookie winced at that, "I love the water pressure here, it's much better than it was at my apartment"

Bella walked into the room then, announcing her presence with a loud "Meow"

"Hey Bella, pretty baby girl" Becky said sweetly to the cat

Bella sat for a moment inside the doorway and then slowly walked over the Becky. After smelling her, Bella meowed quietly and curled up in Becky's lap

"She's just the same" Becky said almost smiling as Sookie continued to brush her hair

"I know" Sookie said smiling, "She's kept me very good company, even if she is so spoiled she stinks"

The girls laughed at her comment, while Bella started licking Becky's hand, calmly ignoring their laughter

"I'm in trouble Sookie" Becky whispered "Real bad"

Sookie paused for a moment, blinking before she continued brushing her hair "What's goin' on?" Sookie asked

"Daddy he….he was….I'm…in trouble Sookie, and I don't know what to do" Becky said, large tears falling from her eyes as she stroked the cat in her lap

Sookie stopped then, and moving her leg, slid to the floor to sit next to Becky, "What kind of trouble Becky?" she whispered

"I'm pregnant Sookie, and its…he started when I was young, it was just touching…I ran away when I was old enough…but they found me and sent me home…it escalated then" Becky said, pausing as she tried to tell the story

"I'm so sorry" Sookie said, pulling Becky into her arms as they both started crying "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Because he would tell me things would happen if I did" Becky said, clinging to her "What am I gonna do Sookie? I just don't know what to do…"

They sat for quite a while, clinging to each other, crying silent tears. It was Sookie who pulled back slightly, before speaking

"First things first, you are gonna stay here tonight, and we'll think about the rest and next steps tomorrow"

"I can't have this baby Sookie, I can't" Becky said "But I don't know if I can…get rid of it either" she cried

"Becky" Sookie said, shaking her slightly "We will think about all of that tomorrow, I promise, have you been to a doctor?"

Becky nodded, her eyes falling to the floor "I went to a clinic before I left, they took my blood", wiping her eyes and sniffling she said "I didn't go home after that, I just found a bus station and bought a ticket, I went to Florida first, I didn't know what to do after that, so when I talked to Gran, she had just talked to you, she was talking about your new house and how much space you had, so I asked for the address, I told her I wanted to write to you, but I think she knew, she promised she wouldn't say anything to Dad about it" taking a deep breath she continued "I'm sorry Sookie, I just don't know where else to go, and I'm so scared"

"Nonsense Becky, you are safe here, you will stay and we will figure out what to do, but not until tomorrow" Sookie said "Have you eaten?"

Becky shook her head then "Not since Florida, I didn't have any money left"

"Alright, do you want to go downstairs?" Sookie asked "It's ok if not, I can just bring something up and we can stay in here if you want"

"I think I just want to stay in here Sookie, I don't want to see other people right now, I just feel so….dirty"

"Stop that Becky, it wasn't your fault" Sookie said firmly. Stroking her cheek softly, she spoke "I'll go down and grab something to eat, I'll be back in a minute" she told her before walking out the door into the hallway, shutting the door behind her.

Sookie found Eric, Amelia and Pam sitting in the kitchen, the three of them looking at her expectantly.

"Not right now" she said walking to the cabinets and grabbing a plate. She quickly make Becky a sandwich from some lunch meat and add some chips to the plate. Grabbing a soda, she silently went back up the stairs and into the bedroom.

Sookie was grateful she had moved a spare TV she'd had stored in her garage moved into this room before. She said a silent thank you for the Fios installation that had been completed a couple of days ago as she and Becky laid on the bed watching TV in silence, each one lost in their own thoughts.

It was almost 11 pm when Sookie left Becky sleeping on the air bed. She walked out of the room quietly, shutting the door behind her and making her way to her room. She found Eric sitting in bed, watching TV, shirtless. Groaning when she saw him, she climbed in next to him, and found him in shorts under the covers.

Pressing her lips to his, as she snuggled into his side she asked "You waiting for me?"

"Yep" he smiled down at her face, "How is your cousin?" he asked

"Sleeping" Sookie said, closing her eyes "And it's a mess" she said getting up from the bed and making her way to the bathroom to change into her nightgown. Yawning as she made her way back to bed, Eric pulled the covers back before she climbed in.

He pulled her close, turning them both on their sides so he was spooning behind her. "You're tired and you need to sleep, we've had a very trying day" he told her softly

"I know" she said closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of him pressed against her. "I love you" she said

"I love you" he told her, pressing his lips to the sensitive skin between her neck and shoulder

"Becky maybe with us for a while" she said, turning her head to look at him

"Its fine" he said quietly, he hadn't told Sookie yet, but he knew

"Her father, my Uncle Bartlett, he got her pregnant" Sookie said quietly

"We will figure it out" Eric told her, squeezing her into him gently

"I love you" she said again

"I love you Sookie Stackhouse" he said smiling "Close those eyes and go to sleep" he said turning off the TV.

It wasn't long before Sookie did just that.

* * *

**AN: SOOOO I've gotten lots of questions...I won't be giving much away, but I will assure everyone, nothing, NOTHING will happen to the baby. That isn't to say that its gonna be easy either, but nothing will happen to the baby. I double promise pinky swear.**

**That being said, there are still lots of questions, which I love by the way...I want to let everyone know, Bill is the CEO of a competitor company NOT the CEO of Sookie's old company or the new company. AND Bill's company is partnering with Eric's company to work on a contract for the government. It happens all the time in the contracting world.**

**Bill is married to Lorena and yes he still wants Sookie. **

**Eric and Pam are brother and sister, not former lovers - I keep getting this question for some reason**

**There was also a lunch that happened with Pam and Eric a few chapters ago...I've yet to reveal all the details..its coming...**

**I love how you have fallen in love with our couple, I have too, keep the comments flowing and the questions coming, I'll try to answer them as long as they don't give away the plot :) :) Much love to all and SMOOCHES!**


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Eric listened to Sookie breathing, the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest. His mind started replaying events over; he was remembering a lunch that he'd had with Pam the week before.

"Eric, that cousin of Sookie's, we do know her," Pam had told him, looking oddly uncomfortable. She'd pushed a folder across the table to him, and opening it he found a photocopy of a Louisiana driver's license issued to Becky Hale. Eric looked at Pam for a moment, and then at the picture with the license. The woman did look oddly familiar. He turned the copy over and found another copy of a Los Angeles license, this one issued to Hadley Conner. She had brown hair and looked similar to Becky. It was then that Eric realized where he recognized them from.

"Pam?" He asked, arching an eyebrow in surprise at her.

"I fell in love with her," Pam said quietly.

"You brought her to my party; I remember her" Eric said.

* * *

It was quiet in the house. Lorena was laying next to him, silent, her breathing even and light as she slept on, unaware of him or his thoughts next to her.

Bill was thinking about Sookie. How he'd met her the first time with Victor. She'd come to his office with him for a meeting, only to take notes.

Her lovely smile, her light, dancing eyes. He'd fallen in love with her the moment he shook her hand.

He'd decided to make her his when he met Northman the first time. Bill saw how the blonde man looked at her; he saw how they were nervous around each other in his office.

Sookie would be his and without that parasite growing inside her. He wanted nothing of Northman for her to cling to. She would be his and his alone. If she got pregnant from him, it would be different. He would tolerate it, but it wasn't his goal. He'd even started researching a way to tie her tubes surgically, just to make sure she wouldn't have any kids, but that would take time. He would have to drug her of course, but that would also take time to establish.

He rolled over, running his hand up and down Lorena's arm, pressing small kisses to her shoulder, his hand moving forward to pinch her nipple. Soon, soon Sookie Stackhouse would be his.

* * *

"We're all ears, now spill!" Amelia said.

Pam stared at the table, unable to find the words.

"It's alright Pam, you can tell her" Eric said quietly, his gaze holding Pam's for a moment.

"I know Becky Hale," Pam said slowly. "I know her as Hadley." Pam paused then. "We know each other well…intimately well."

"Oh….shit," Amelia whispered, blinking a few times. She turned her gaze to Eric, then asked "Did you know her…intimately?" she practically whispered the last word, praying for his sake the answer was no.

"No, only Pam did. She brought her to a party in LA." Eric replied.

Amelia smiled then, releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Good, I don't want to have to help Sookie hide a body."

Eric arched an eyebrow then.

"Well…" Amelia said. "It would mean you were done with Sookie - I can tell you that much and I don't want to have to pick her engagement ring out of your nose. Killing you would be easier."

Ignoring Amelia for the moment, Eric looked back at Pam. "We know you wouldn't be responsible for her pregnancy, but was she pregnant at the time of your…interlude?" Eric asked gently.

"I don't think so," Pam said. "Did she tell you anything?"

"She was quiet after I invited her in….she thanked me….cried a lot." Eric said "I didn't tell her I knew her, but she recognized me."

Eric's phone rang then. Taking a quick glance he saw Victor's name flash and he answered, "Hello Victor, how are you doing?"

"Better, wonderful actually! It's nice to be home, in my own bed. The kids are having quite the time with it as well."

"Good, are you moving around better?" Eric asked.

"I am!" Victor told him, elation evident in his voice. "I heard the merger was finalized, congratulations!"

"Thank you!" Eric replied happily. "You know you are safe, right Victor? I am going to be changing things, but I am not moving or changing your role." Eric said, hoping to reassure him.

"Thank you Eric, it does make things easier for me," Victor said "I was actually hoping to swing by the office late next week, just to see some folks. I'm not ready to be back but I was thinking being around people again would be helpful."

"You are always welcome. In fact, I would like to talk to you when you're in. I want to change Sookie's role. She has been indispensible to me and I think to the organization. I want to give her some authority and have some things taken off of our plate."

"You're taking away my assistant?" Victor teased.

"I am," Eric laughed back.

"I think it's a great idea! She does so much more."

"I agree, and she does very well at what she does."

"I'll stop by your office when I'm in Eric; I look forward to seeing you," Victor said.

"Agreed," Eric laughed before hanging up his phone.

Focusing his attention back on Pam and Amelia, he noticed their silence. "Now what?" he asked.

"I think we should let Sookie talk to Becky," Pam said. "And I'll talk to Becky tomorrow."

"Fine, but I want someone explaining it all to Sookie before tomorrow night!" Eric said firmly "I will not allow secrets like this," pinching his nose with his left hand. "I've learned that much."

Amelia and Pam nodded then, and both rose from the table. "You go on to bed," Amelia told him.

"Yes, go to bed; take care of our little Mommy," Pam said, hugging him before walking out to the garage with Amelia following close behind her.

Eric waited a moment, shaking his head. He heard the car engines start and he started locking doors downstairs. After turning off the lights, he grabbed a bottle of water and walked up the stairs to the bedroom. Taking a quick glance at the room Becky and Sookie were in, he found the door closed.

Walking into their bedroom, he closed the door without latching it, pulled on his pajama pants and climbed into bed. It wasn't long before Sookie joined him, and they snuggled in for the night.

* * *

Eric woke early the next morning, he felt Sookie snuggled up against his side. Turning his head slightly, he looked at the clock. It was 7:38 am.

He lay still for a moment, and then slowly, so not to disturb Sookie, got up out of bed. He took his phone downstairs to the kitchen while he brewed coffee and called Damon.

"Now that we have proof it was Bill, what can we do? I'd like to see him brought up on charges if possible," he said when Damon answered the phone.

"Good Morning to you too," Damon said. "I'll see what we can do but because there isn't an ongoing investigation it may be hard," he explained.

"What about the guys who tried to take her?" Eric asked.

"They still haven't been identified; I'll see what we can do," Damon said. "Did you decide on guards?"

"There are two I want to see again. I want Sookie to meet them before I decide - Alcide and that Quinn guy."

"Alright, I'll arrange to have them come out on Monday. What about the shadows?" Damon asked.

"I would like to hire Alcide and Quinn, after Sookie agrees, and have them decide on the shadows and who to hire. I want to deal with just one person. If I have to deal with all of them then I'll never get to run my company."

"Agreed. I'll arrange for them to meet on Monday and I think Alcide should be in charge; he has the experience. Quinn is good, but he is a hired gun in the traditional sense - tell him what to do and leave it be. He doesn't seem to like to be in charge."

"Fine," Eric said quietly.

"Eric?" Damon asked.

"Yes?"

"Get some sleep; it's Sunday." Damon told him before hanging up.

With a grin, Eric closed his phone and poured himself some coffee. He made sure to finish it before returning to the bedroom. With Sookie unable to drink coffee, he thought it was unfair to drink in front of her.

He found her in bed, her arms wrapped around his pillow, a slight smile on her face. Grinning, he walked to the shower after shutting their bedroom door.

He was standing in the shower, under the spray, when he felt small hands moving up his back and felt arms wrapping around his waist.

With a smile, Eric turned, pressing himself into Sookie's small form. Their lips met, moments before their tongues started dueling. Eric's hands started wandering, her breasts in his hands as his nimble fingers worked her nipples into stiff peaks.

He pressed her into the shower wall, lifting her slightly. He flattened his hands against the wall, her knees bent over his elbows as he pushed into her.

Sookie's head fell back to the wall as she moaned, the feel of Eric moving inside of her nearly sending her over the edge. His mouth moved down to her nipples, alternating between them as he thrust into her, his speed increasing.

"Use your hands lover," he said gruffly.

"Eric!" she moaned, moving her head back and forth.

"Rub it Sookie, rub your clit for me lover," he ordered.

Her right hand left his shoulder and trailed down between them. Eric continued his thrusting but slowed his pace as he watched her hand moving in circles over her swollen nub. He felt her walls clenching him then.

"That's it Sookie, rub it, get yourself off lover. I want to watch it happen!" he said, taking her nipple in his mouth.

"I'm coming," she whispered.

He felt her walls tightening around him, her already wet core slicker, heating more. "I know lover; cum for me!" he said, pressing his lips to her as she started moaning louder.

He felt her body spasm, the tension evidence of her orgasm. He increased his speed, her warmth sending him over the edge. "SOOKIE!" he cried out releasing his seed into her as he thrust a few more times before letting her legs go. He held her close until he knew she could stand on her own.

"I love you," she said, pressing her lips to his chest as she rested her head against him.

"I love you," he replied, kissing the top of her head as he held her close. "Always my Sookie, I love you always."

* * *

They emerged from their room sometime later, Eric dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, Sookie in gray leggings and a pink t-shirt.

They were sitting at the table, Eric eating an English Muffin, Sookie nibbling on some fruit when she looked at him. "What are we going to do about Bill?" she asked.

"I've asked Damon already," Eric told her, taking her hand in his. "I'm also meeting with two guards tomorrow; it is my intent to hire them, with one of them heading our security team. Until everything is in place we are just going to have to be more secure and vigilant," he told her. "I won't risk you and the baby again."

"I don't understand how he got to the pills Eric. Nobody even knew about the baby," she told him, her mind spinning at all the changes that had occurred in the last month.

"I know, but while we piece things together, we are just going to have to stay quiet and wait them out." he told her. "What is going on with Becky?"

Sookie explained what she knew, about her Uncle Bartlett and Becky's pregnancy. When she was done, Eric cleared his throat and held her gaze.

"There's more," he said quietly. "Pam was involved with her when she was in LA, but she used a different name then. She was Hadley."

"Involved with her?" Sookie asked. "How?"

"They were romantically linked," Eric said, watching her face as the realization hit her.

"Oh!" she said quietly. "Well we know Pam didn't get her in this predicament."

Eric grinned, happy she was taking it so well. "Pam, I believe, is in love with her."

"Good," Sookie said, smiling. "I don't care about the details. I just want everyone happy and if Pam loves Becky and Becky loves Pam that is all I need to know. I do think Becky is going to be with us a while though," Sookie said.

"Its fine, as long as she needs to be here," Eric said.

Becky came down the stairs then, looking nervous.

"Morning," she said quietly, sweeping some of her hair behind her ear.

"Sit," Sookie said smiling. "Are you hungry? I have fruit, Muffins, Oatmeal if you want."

"Umm just some juice if you have any?" Becky said quietly, sitting in a chair opposite Eric, next to Sookie.

"I have orange, apple and cranberry," Sookie told her.

"Cranberry, please," she replied.

Sookie grabbed a small container and set it in front of Becky, before sitting back in her chair.

"Becky?" Eric said softly. "You are welcome here as long as you need a place to stay."

"Thank you," Becky said, tears welling in her eyes. "Thank you both so much, I couldn't stay with Dad anymore. He wouldn't stop…." The tears started falling from her eyes then.

"Well, he can't get you here!" Eric said firmly. "But I have to warn you, Pam knows you're here, and she wants to talk to you."

"Oh," Becky said quietly. "I'd like to see her," she said looking down at the table.

As if on cue Pam came walking through the garage door. After entering the alarm code on the keypad by the door, she stepped into the kitchen.

Becky stood up then, looking at Pam with a bit of shock.

"We should talk," Pam said.

"Eric and I were just running out," Sookie said, looking at Eric hoping he would get the hint. "We are going to look at some furniture stores."

"Yes," Eric said, rising from the table. "I happen to know, this table is a good one for conversations. Why don't you both have a seat? Sookie and I will be back later," he said, grabbing his car keys as Sookie grabbed her purse.

They were out the door a moment later, and Eric was backing his car out of the garage. He paused as he shifted the car into drive, looking at Sookie. "Furniture shopping?" he asked, arching his eyebrow.

"It was all I could think of," Sookie said giggling "Besides, we do need stuff."

* * *

It was several hours and several thousand dollars later that they returned home. After arranging for the new furniture to be delivered Wednesday, Sookie and Eric made the drive back to the house.

Becky and Pam were sitting in the living room, watching TV. Sookie found them after walking into the kitchen and finding it empty.

"Hi," she said, flopping on the couch.

"Success?" Pam asked grinning.

"Oh yeah," Sookie giggled as Eric walked in the room and sat next to her. "It all gets delivered Wednesday," she said smiling and cuddling into him.

"How are things here?" Eric asked looking at Becky and Pam.

"We've decided to take things slow," Becky said, taking Pam's hand into her own.

"And to see what happens," Pam said, brushing Becky's hair behind her ear. "I am going to take her to the doctor tomorrow, so that she doesn't go alone."

* * *

The three of them sat around the table discussing their plans to move forward.

"Can we get our hands on her?"

"I won't have access to her" Felicia responded.

"I can try," Bill said. "But I'm not sure how long it will take."

"Do we know if the arsenic has worked? If it hasn't we need to consider that it was discovered, and if it was, then you need to be on alert," she said, her eyes locking on Bill's.

"I don't understand what you will get out of Sookie disappearing," Felicia said.

"I am not going to explain it to you."

"Does she even know how much you hate her?" Felicia asked.

"No, the stupid girl has no clue, and I want it kept that way until the very last minute. But I want her out of my life, and out of my husband's life!" she spat.

"I think the important thing, we also need to think about, is Eric," Bill said. "He will be insane to find her, if she disappears, especially if she is still pregnant."

"Then I guess you know what your jobs is Mr. Compton, don't you?" she asked looking at him, while Felicia sat silently.

"Here is the new address," she told them, passing a small piece of paper towards them. "Do what needs to be done."

* * *

Monday morning arrived. Eric rose quietly, dressing casually in dockers and a button up shirt for the office, intending on only staying for a few hours. He was meeting the guards at the office, and Amelia was going to use Sookie/Victors office for the day.

He pressed his lips to Sookie's before leaving the bedroom, drinking his coffee in the kitchen and having a light breakfast. Leaving the house Eric disarmed the alarm and rearmed it before leaving. He was in the car, telling himself he would be glad when the guards were in place.

Arriving at the office, Eric pulled his car into his customary space and after climbing out stopped for a moment. Then the realization hit him. "This is all mine," he said quietly, looking around. Riding up the elevator, he was grinning, his accomplishment swelling within him.

Walking towards his office, he found Amelia going thru the files Sookie maintained. "She's good," she told him without turning around.

"Who?" Eric asked.

"Sookie," she said, pausing. "These files are flawless Eric."

Turning she looked at him. "I made coffee already; it's in the kitchen."

"Thank you," Eric replied, walking into his office. "I have two guys coming in. They are the guards I will be hiring, Alcide Hereveaux and John Quinn."

"Ok, will they ask for you downstairs?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered, docking his computer and turning it on.

"Alright, I'll tell them to call me; I don't want Cheryl involved in this," she told him. "Eric, I want to talk about her too. She bugs me."

"Why?"

"I don't know, something just doesn't add up," Amelia said.

"Good Morning!" they both heard from outside the office. Amelia turned to look in the hallway, finding Cheryl walking by to her desk.

"Later," Amelia said, leaving Eric sitting at his desk.

It was a couple of hours and several dozen emails later that Eric heard a knock on his door and turned to see Amelia standing there with the men behind her "Eric, Alcide and Quinn are here to see you."

* * *

Sookie woke up slowly. She had the vague feeling she was being watched. Her eyes were heavy as she rolled over feeling for Eric beside her and finding only emptiness.

Dozing for a few more minutes, she started to feel the hairs on her neck rise. Shaking her head, she finally got up out of bed, making her way to the bathroom and taking care of her business. She pulled on a pair of dark blue yoga pants, and changing out of her nightgown, pulled on her bra and a green t-shirt of Eric's. Smiling as she smelled him through the shirt, she walked towards Becky's room. After a quiet knock, she opened the door and found it empty. Even checking the bathroom revealed no Becky.

Making her way downstairs to the kitchen, she grabbed a cranberry juice and an apple and walked into the living room. What she saw literally took her breath away.

Becky was sitting on the couch facing Bill Compton who was sitting in a chair he'd turned, with a gun in his hand pointed straight at Becky. They both turned when they heard her walk in the room.

"Sookie?" Becky croaked.

"Sookie, so glad you could join us. Please come sit dear," Bill said.

* * *

"So my thoughts, gentlemen, were for you, Alcide to take over the guards. We will need to hire more, but I only want to interface with one person. You Quinn, you are Sookie's guard, and when the baby arrives, you will keep them both safe," Eric said.

"I'm good with that," Quinn said nodding.

"Me too. I'll interview everyone, but I want your final approval on it all," Alcide said.

They spoke a bit longer and Eric called Damon as Amelia escorted the men from the building. After working out the details of their contracts Eric noticed the time and called Sookie. It was after 1pm and he hadn't heard from her yet. Getting no answer at the house, he called her cell phone.

He left a voicemail for her to call him, and he hung up. He was closing his cell phone when he noticed Cheryl was standing near the doorway almost listening to his conversation.

Frowning, he turned back to his laptop, an uneasy feeling creeping into his gut.

"Did you reach her?" Amelia said walking in the office, shutting the door behind her.

"No." Eric said, looking at her. "I don't like it."

"Want me to try?" Amelia asked, pulling her cell phone out.

"Yes," Eric said, watching as Amelia dialed out on her phone.

"Sookie? Its Amelia, call me!" she said, terminating the call. Looking at Eric she said "It didn't even ring; it went straight to voicemail!"

"I'm going to the house," Eric said, locking his laptop and grabbing his car keys. "Follow my lead," he said quietly to Amelia as they neared the door.

Opening the door, he found Cheryl sitting at Sookie's desk. "Amelia and I are stepping out to lunch," he said, smiling at her as they stepped into the hall.

"I just need my purse," Amelia said, stepping into her office to grab her bag and lock her PC. She also locked her office door behind her.

They were in the car, halfway to the house, when Eric's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and cussed out loud. "Mr. Compton, I'm not able to talk right now. Can I give you a call back this afternoon?" he asked.

"Not if you want Becky back alive," Bill replied.

Eric blinked for a moment, his heart almost stopping. He pulled the car over immediately. "Where is Sookie?"

"You no longer have to worry about Sookie, she is mine. But I am willing to return the cousin to you… if you ask nicely."

"Sookie is not yours," Eric said, as Amelia gasped beside him in the car.

"Oh I assure you she is indeed mine," Bill replied haughtily. "She is no longer your concern."

"She is my fiancée and having my child Compton!" Eric hissed.

"She is pregnant for now, yes," Bill replied. "But I will be having that taken care of soon." He paused. "I don't want her to confuse where her loyalties lie, you understand. Your child would be too much for her."

"Don't do anything to her you sick fuck!" Eric yelled into the phone.

"As I said earlier, Sookie is no longer your problem or concern," Bill said. "I will return the cousin. Do you want her or not? She is only in my way, and I don't like problems."

"What do you want for her?" Eric asked.

"I'll be in touch with demands," Bill told him "And Eric, don't get heroic. It will only make training Sookie more difficult, and you wouldn't want to make things hard for her now would you?" Bill asked before hanging up.

* * *

**AN: ***Waves white flag*** If you kill me, I can't save them. ****peeks out from behind couch*****

**Sooo, ummm, we are nearing the end of our story kids. I hate it when stories end all of a sudden, so I wanted to warn you. ALSO, I promised, NOTHING WILL HAPPEN TO THE BABY. I am keeping that promise! Besides, my beta would beat me and take over my story if something like that happened anyway :) hee hee Hugs to ShadoKat for her Beta on this chapter and last chapter, and also to Orionsbabydoll for beta on last chapter...I forgot to mention them when I posted, I'm a bad bad girl. Maybe even...naughty...a naughty naughty girl.**

**Keep the reviews coming! I love hearing about all of your ideas and thoughts and opinions on who our mysterey bad gal is... :) smooches :) :)**


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Felicia walked into the room, smiling evilly as she saw Sookie gagged and bound to a chair and Becky across from her tied up on the floor.

"Well…" she said. "If it isn't our little mother and her cousin? My my my how things have changed!" She dragged her fingernails across Sookie's cheek, leaving small pink marks on the skin.

"DO NOT MARK HER!" Bill said firmly watching from the doorway. He stepped forward then, Sookie's eyes watching him until he moved behind her. She quickly looked down at Becky, their eyes meeting in mutual terror.

"Why not?" Felicia asked rebelliously.

"She is mine," Bill said, his hand reaching down to soothe the now angry skin of Sookie's cheek, "Aren't you sweetheart?" he asked, his hand trailing down her neck, slowly, moving under her t-shirt to squeeze her breast gently.

Sookie closed her eyes to keep tears from falling, Becky watching in horror as she saw Bill pinch Sookie's nipple and her silent jump in response.

"Very good!" Bill said, pressing his lips to the back of her head "You are responding to your master well," he complimented "We will move on in your training later this evening."

Sookie remained quiet as a tear fell from her eye. _'Please Eric, please find me!'_ she thought to herself desperately.

"What are you going to do with her?" Felicia asked coldly, pointing to Becky on the floor.

"I'm going to give her back; I have no use for her," he responded walking out of the room.

Felicia followed him out, looking around the small apartment with distaste. "I'd wondered what this place looked like," she said.

"Well… now you know," Bill answered easily.

"What about the pregnancy?" Felicia asked.

"It will be taken care of tomorrow," Bill said coldly. "I have an appointment at a clinic. They will knock her out and that parasite in her will be a memory."

"And you called me cold!" Felicia said shivering.

"Why on earth would I allow her to have a child? It will do nothing but mar her body; her skin is beautiful! And its Northman's child anyway," Bill said.

"You think her skin is beautiful?" Felicia asked, wrinkling her nose.

Bill grabbed her hand and pulled her back into the room. He released her standing in front of Sookie and moved behind Sookie then.

"She is perfection," he said. "Look."

His hands moved to her shirt then, ripping it open quickly, exposing her chest and bra. He pulled a knife from his pocket and sliced her bra in half quickly, exposing her breasts to the room. Putting the knife in his pocket, he reached down with both hands, cupping under her breasts, her nipples exposed. "Look at those," he said, his eyes holding Felicia's shocked gaze. "They are beautiful, beautiful tits!"

Sookie was silent, tears of shame falling from her eyes as she looked at a wall next to her. Becky was crying from the floor, watching her cousin.

Bill weighed them in his hands, moaning quietly for a moment, his fingers working to her nipples. He pinched them roughly, causing Sookie to wince in pain, and cry out quietly.

"You like that don't you?" he asked, his attention focused on Sookie then. "I'll teach you more, my pet, you'll enjoy the pain!" he said, dropping her breasts suddenly. He stood still for a moment, looking down at her. Quickly, he grabbed her left breast in his hand, cupping it underneath again, and smacked her nipple sharply. Sookie jumped then, trying not to struggle in his hands. She was afraid of exciting him more.

"That," he said, pointing down at the red mark on her breast. "That is perfection," he said looking at Felicia.

Turning his gaze back to Sookie, he stepped in front of her then, bending to take her nipple in his mouth he sucked hard, causing her to squirm before letting her go. "I'll be back later," he promised, his dark eyes turbulent as he turned to walk away.

Sookie watched him leave. Felicia paused at the door, a look of almost pity on her face before she shut it behind her, leaving Sookie and Becky alone again. Sookie started struggling with her bindings then, while looking at Becky doing the same thing.

'_We have to get out of here!'_ she thought desperately.

* * *

Eric made it to the house. Running inside, he could already feel Sookie wasn't there. He made a quick run through all the entrances and around all the windows while he started calling Damon.

"Hello Eric," Damon answered happily.

"Compton, he has Sookie!" Eric said quickly, his mind trying to determine how he could have gotten past the alarm.

It seemed like it was only minutes before the house was swarming with people, some in uniform, some in plain clothes. Damon was walking around, and Quinn and Alcide had also arrived, along with Pam and Lafayette.

Eric sat at the table staring out the window, his mind trying to piece everything together.

It had been almost 2 hours since Bill had called. Damon had hired investigators to check all known properties of Bill Compton. The police had gone to his home; his wife and children had been removed and taken into protective custody, but there had been no sign of Sookie or Bill.

He rose from the table and silently walked up the stairs to their room. He had to call Adele, and soon, but he couldn't bring himself to do it yet. Shutting the door behind him, he leaned against it for a minute, staring at the bed. Their bed. An image of her face, full of laughter, flashed in front of his eyes.

He stepped towards the bed, falling across it, his head landing in her pillow. He moaned pitifully for a moment before pulling it closer, breathing in the smell of her sweet scent. Moving his head to the side, he looked at the bathroom. Their words echoed in his mind:

_"I love you," she said, pressing her lips to his chest as she rested her head against him._

_"I love you," he replied, kissing the top of her head as he held her close. "Always my Sookie, I love you always."_

Panic rose in him then. What if that was the last time they were ever together? Growling, he got up off the bed, unable to look at the room any longer without Sookie in it.

"You look like a caged tiger," Pam said as she watched him walk down the stairs, returning to the kitchen.

"I feel like it!" Eric replied. "I don't understand how 3 people, adults, can drop off of the face of the earth, and not be seen by anyone!" he said, running his hand through his hair.

"We gotta get you busy!" Lafayette said, watching Eric pace. "Cause if you wear out Sookie's hard wood floors pacing, she is gonna beat you when she gets home."

Eric looked at him like he had 4 heads.

"Come on, I bet you didn't empty her storage unit did you?" Lafayette said.

"I didn't know she had one?" Eric stated.

"Yep it's at the old apartment; by the mailboxes," he said. "We can go unload the boxes and it will burn some energy off of you."

Eric nodded and followed Lafayette out to his SUV.

* * *

Sookie sat silently in the chair, looking around her old bedroom, praying Eric would figure out they were missing soon.

Becky was still on the floor, but had rolled over closer to Sookie. She was pressing into Sookie's legs in an effort to just feel closer to someone, having stopped crying finally.

They watched the sun start to fall in the sky, their eyes meeting frequently as they heard noises all around them.

Sookie saw shadows under the doorway moving towards them. She nudged Becky slightly with her foot, hoping to give the girl some warning, but it didn't work. The door was thrown open suddenly.

Bill walked through the door followed closely by someone Sookie never expected. Her eyes widened as she saw Sandy Madden walk through, an evil smile on her face as she saw Sookie, almost topless, sitting helplessly tied to the chair.

"My my my!" Sandy said. "How things have changed!" she walked towards Sookie then, stopping just in front of her. "I think you'll sell well on the market," she said, reaching down to pinch one of Sookie's nipples roughly. "That pale skin with those tits you have will earn a pretty penny on the open market Sookie. Too bad we can't sell you as a virgin; you had to fuck that blonde asshole. Although, I can't say I blame you, he must be a good ride!"

Sookie, shocked at first, shuddered in revulsion at Sandy's words.

"I don't want to sell her!" Bill said "I want to keep her, train her to be mine."

"No!" Sandy said. "She'll squeal. She can't stay here, so either kill her or sell her."

"No!" Bill said.

"I do want to get a video of you fucking her though, just to send to Northman," Sandy said casually. She laughed as Sookie's eyes widened and her head shook, "No."

Gripping both of Sookie's breasts, she spoke "I don't think you have a choice now do you?" she said before smacking both, leaving pink marks on them as she backed away.

"A video of me fucking her?" Bill said, as though he was considering the idea. "I have her termination scheduled for tomorrow," he said.

"Good, we can tape that as well. And no drip! I want her awake for it. Tape the screams; it will drive Northman over the edge. He'll lose his brat and his bitch at the same time," She said coldly. "If you don't agree to sell her, she is going to die on the table tomorrow."

Sandy turned on her heel and walked out then, Bill arguing and following quickly behind her, shutting the door behind him as he went.

It was a short time later that Bill returned, alone. Sookie started moaning at him, getting his attention.

"I'll remove the gag, but if you scream, I'll make you regret it," he said.

Sookie nodded, agreeing to be quiet.

As soon as he was done, she flexed her mouth a bit and her neck and whispered, "I have to use the restroom, please."

"What do I get for letting you?" he asked.

"What do you want?" she whispered.

Bill leered at her then, his hands cupping her breasts. He took one nipple in his mouth, while his other hand moved between her legs.

"I want to fuck you and you have to be willing," he said.

"I don't think so," she said.

"You have such beautiful tits Sookie," he said, moaning. "Let me fuck you; I'll make you crazy with the pleasure," he promised.

"I just need to pee." she begged.

"Fine, I'll find something else then," he leered at her, untying her legs. He stopped before releasing her arms. "You do anything stupid, ANYTHING," he growled, "and I'll kill your cousin."

Sookie nodded again and Bill released her. She stumbled to the bathroom, unable to walk steadily because the circulation had been cut off to her limbs.

She took care of her business and after washing her hands, drank a few fistfuls of water from the sink. She opened the door and found Bill just outside.

"Strip!" he demanded.

"I said strip!" he said, seeing Sookie hesistate

Sookie started crying then, removing her torn shirt and bra and dropping her pants to the floor. Covering herself with her arms, she stepped beside Bill into the room. His hand connected with her behind then as he cackled with glee watching her flesh turn pink.

"I love that ass," he said almost to himself. "Sit in the chair!" he told her loudly.

Sookie did as she was told and sat down. Bill tied her hands and arms first, and replaced the gag. He also tied her knees open and to the chair as well as her ankles to the chair legs.

After tying her ankles, his hand trailed up her leg, moving to the inside of her thigh and finally to her sex.

Sookie moaned as he moved his hand around her lower lips. She was shaking her head "No" and crying as he touched her, probing for a moment before whispering in her ear, "I'll taste that pussy later," and walking away, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

**AN: ***WAVES WHITE FLAG AGAIN****If you murder me, I can't save our happy couple!**

**I said nothing would happen to the baby...I meant it...but I also tried to warn you Sookie would not have an easy time of it.**

**AND you got the answer to the question...Who was that mystery woman? It was Sandy.**

**I see light at the end of the tunnel...I promise an epilogue and if enough folks want it, I am sure I can come up with another adventure for our couple...**

**BIG BIG Thanks to ShadoKat for her Beta skills and advice ***she wanted to call this chapter "Kill Bill part 2"**

**As always reveiws are totally welcome! :) :) smooches ya'll**


	41. Chapter 41

**AN: My sincere and ENORMOUS thank you to my fabulous beta ShadoKat...if ya'll get a chance check out her story "Yours for the Taking" its AWESOME! This chapter was GREATLY influenced by her ideas and her awesome beta skills :) :) :) She wanted to title this chapter "Kill Bill 3: Satisfaction" Enjoy...I'll see you at the bottom!**

* * *

Chapter 41

Lafayette pulled up to the apartment building. Getting his spare keys out of his pocket, he walked to Sookie's storage unit. Eric followed close behind him, his mind still trying to determine where Bill could have taken Sookie.

With great flourish, Lafayette opened the door to the storage unit. It was filled to the top with boxes and plastic storage bins.

"These are Sook's holiday decorations," Lafayette explained, "And some childhood mementos."

Eric nodded and grabbed a couple of bins and took them out to the SUV. He walked back to the storage unit and grabbed two more. He almost found comfort in the brainless activity. 'Sookie will be happy to have these when she gets home,' he thought to himself.

"Stop thinking about it," Lafayette ordered when he saw Eric standing off to the side.

Running his hand through his hair, Eric tried to shake it off. "I can't," he said quietly. "That woman, in less than 2 months, has become my whole life!" he said, squatting to the floor with his head in between his hands. "I can't lose her."

"You won't," Lafayette said. "Sookie is a fighter, we will find her," he said.

"I wanna see the apartment!" Eric said suddenly, standing up. "I wanna be there for a few minutes." he said, walking down the familiar stairs.

* * *

Sookie tried to stay calm. Becky pressing into her leg helped some but it also continued to remind her of the dangerous situation they were in.

The sun had been down for a while. The only light in the room was the light Sookie had left on in the bathroom. They both heard Bill open the front door to the apartment. Becky had tried to move, hoping to somehow either work her tie downs off, or get Sookie loose, but it didn't work. The door opened again not long after, dashing their hopes of escape.

Bill walked into the room moments later. Stopping in front of Sookie, Bill paused, kneeling, his eye level with hers. Setting his hands on her knees as she tried hard not to flinch away from him, he spoke. "I have surprise for you Sookie."

Sookie looked at him, her heart pounding in her ears then. Bill reached down to her ankles and started untying her. "The same rules apply - you make noise, or run, I'll kill her," he said, indicating Becky.

Sookie nodded her understanding, and Bill resumed untying her and removed the gag. Pulling her up from the chair, he paused for a moment before dragging her into the bathroom. Pushing her into the bath tub, Bill took a syringe out of his pocket and set it on the vanity.

Looking at Sookie he patted the syringe. "We'll get to this in a moment," he promised darkly.

He moved towards her, his eyes taking in her naked body. "I'd love to just fuck you silly right now!" he said. He reached forward to pinch her nipples and she visibly cringed. "Stand there and take it!" he said, his eyes locking on her. "You know you want it," he said as Sookie whimpered quietly, turning her head away.

He grabbed her hands then and, after wrapping the rope he'd brought from the bedroom around one of her wrists, he swung the rope over the empty shower curtain rod and grabbed her free wrist. Raising it, he bound it to the other with the rod in between.

"Now," he began, "lets discuss the change in our plans," he said, leaning against the vanity and facing Sookie with a maniacal glint in his eyes.

"Have you ever heard of pitocin Sookie?" Bill asked.

"No," Sookie said quietly, staring at the bathtub floor.

"It's a drug they give to women to bring on labor, or contractions to start labor." he explained.

Sookie's eyes widened then, tears filling them as she stared at him.

"My little syringe is full of pitocin Sookie," Bill told her, grinning evilly. "I'm going to inject you with it. We won't be needing your appointment tomorrow with the doctor; you're going to lose that parasite growing inside of you tonight!" he said. "And you're going to do it while you're standing in that shower; that way we can just wash it all away," he told her. "I'll be able to forget you cheated on me, and you'll be able to forget you got caught." His hand gripped her jaw viciously, forcing her to look at him as he said it. There would be bruises. She gingerly flexed her jaw as he let go, running his hand across both breasts before he moved away.

Sookie had a steady stream of tears coursing down her cheeks in terror. He was absolutely insane! "But we weren't together!" she whispered, afraid of making too much noise. "You're married to Lorena, you have children!"

"Lorena ceased to mean anything to me when I met you," he answered softly, leaning in close. His breath smelled of alcohol. "I knew when I first met you, I had to have you. You can't tell me you didn't feel our attraction!" He shifted then, no longer leaning against the vanity. "I knew when you came to my office with Northman that he was going to be a problem." His hands formed into fists and she thought he would hit her, but instead he turned away.

He left the bathroom then, walking into the bedroom to grab Becky and pull her into the bathroom. He sat her on the commode, after he set the lid down. "I'm going to rid Sookie of her parasite," he told her. "Don't you think it's fitting, the place she conceived it," he indicated the apartment "is where she is going to lose it?" His movements were jerky, erratic. He was obviously very agitated and determined to see this through.

Becky started making noise then, violently shaking her head no. Her voice was muffled by the gag, but clearly heard by Bill and Sookie.

"I don't know why I bothered to explain it to you; you don't matter anyway!" he said, tossing her back into the bedroom carelessly. Sookie cringed as she heard Becky's body hit the floor hard.

'_Eric, please help me!'_ Sookie thought. _'Somebody please!'_

Bill returned to the bathroom then, leaning in close to Sookie and grasping her arms with both hands. "You understand don't you?" he asked Sookie, pleading with her. His voice was emotional, low and gravelly, and his eyes actually started to pool up a little before he pulled back from her.

"It's the only way we can be together!" he told her, pacing a bit in the small bathroom. "If Sandy knows you've lost this… thing… she won't be able to sell you … you'll be damaged," he explained.

"But I don't want this!" Sookie said quietly. "Doesn't it matter what I want?" She couldn't believe that she had ever found this man likable and even mildly attractive.

Bill smiled at her, almost softly. He leaned against the vanity again, folding his arms across his chest. "Do you know what I've gone thru to get you Sookie?" he asked looking at her. "Do you know how I got in the house?"

"No," Sookie replied, hoping to keep him talking. Anything to stall him.

"I had to get the address from Sandy," he told her. "I really don't like that woman, sweetheart, but I had to work with her. It was the only way to ensure I could get to you," he said, pausing. "She got the address from Cheryl, your temp," he said, watching her eyes get large again. "You always were too trusting."

"Why?" Sookie asked, tears falling from her eyes. "Why is this happening?"

"I went to the house, your new house. It is quite beautiful you know," he nodded at her. "And I knocked on the door, after I watched Eric leave," he started pacing again. "And Becky, she turned off the alarm, and opened the door, just as easy as can be. It's amazing how agreeable folks seem to get when a gun is shoved in their face!"

Sookie shivered then, remembering. "I'm sorry you're cold. I'd cover you up, but it's just going to get messy when you start bleeding," he said.

"Anyway, she let me in….and it was all over from there. Do you know how sweet you look when you sleep Sookie? Like an angel, with your hair spread out on your pillow around you." He smiled as he remembered the scene.

"Please don't do this!" Sookie whispered.

"I must," Bill said, walking towards her. He pulled a large, long piece of rubber out of his pants pocket then. Pulling her right arm slightly, he tied the rubber around her upper arm.

"This will raise the vein in your arm; it will help when I inject you," he explained. "Normally this is done with an IV, but I don't have one, so I'll give you a bit at a time, until you start bleeding."

Bill shook his head then, and turned to the vanity. Picking up the syringe, he tapped it lightly, removing the air bubbles, and started walking towards her. "I wish I could say that this will only hurt for a moment, but I can't. I'm sorry; I can't give you anything for the pain, but I think if you truly feel this, it will teach you a lesson."

"Please, please don't do this!" Sookie pleaded.

"Shhh darling! This will be over soon, but we have to get rid of that parasite now," he said, as though he were talking to a child.

He tapped her arm a couple of times and, finding the vein ready, he pushed the needle in, his thumb on the plunger, when they both heard the door open.

"What the fuck is this shit?" Sookie heard Lafayette.

"Lafayette, please get Eric! Help me NOW!" Sookie screamed hysterically, as Bill growled at her, leaving the room quickly.

* * *

Eric paused at the front door, remembering the first time he'd seen Sookie at the office. Lafayette shook his head and, pushing Eric out of the way, used his key to open the door. Stepping in, he noticed the lights on in the kitchen, in Sookie's old bedroom and bathroom. He also saw bags strewn around the living room.

"What the fuck is this shit?" he said out loud, thinking someone had broken in and started living in the apartment.

Eric was walking through the door, when they both heard Sookie crying, "Lafayette, please get Eric! Help me NOW!"

"SOOKIE!" Eric yelled, running to the bedroom. "Becky!" he yelled as Bill walked towards him, his fist connecting with Eric's jaw. Eric, caught off guard by the blow, reeled, blinking hard. He shook his head and heard Sookie again.

"Eric, please! I'm in the bathroom! Get in here!" she was sobbing, close to hysteria.

Lafayette was running in then, his fist connecting with Bills jaw, as Bill tried to attack Eric. Eric shook off the punch and ran around Bill to the bathroom to find Sookie, naked, with her hands tied over her head, struggling with the shower curtain rod and a syringe sticking out of her arm.

"Eric!" she sobbed, almost unrecognizably. "!" she cried.

Eric understood "needle" and "arm" and moved forward quickly. He wrapped his hand around the syringe and pulled it from her arm quickly, his fingers never going near the plunger.

"Sookie… Sookie… I'm here!" he cried, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close, nearly sobbing with relief. She began crying hysterically, her body shaking against him. He tugged at the ropes binding her wrists and couldn't budge them. He put his hands on both sides of her face.

"Sookie! Sookie, look at me!" He was relieved when her eyes turned to him. "I have to get a knife to cut the ropes." He gripped her more firmly when she started to protest. "I am here. I. Am. Not. Leaving. You. You are safe Lover. I can not untie these ropes without a knife. I have to get one. I am NOT leaving you." He was desperate to calm her fears. "Do you hear me?"

Finally, she nodded and whispered "Hurry".

He heard Lafayette and Bill fighting. Looking at Sookie, he spoke again, "I'll be right back," he said softly and stepped away from her, his eyes taking note of the pink marks on her breasts and her almost raw nipples.

Rage was taking over him then, his body rigid in anger. _His woman, His Sookie_. _Bill had taken her from his home, tied her up, abused her, and hurt her and possibly his child as well. 'Focus, focus on Sookie,'_ he tried to calm his rage enough to think clearly and get them out of there.

He took two steps to the bedroom, his eyes scanning the room quickly, searching for a knife.

Bill saw him, avoiding a punch from Lafayette, and tried to tackle Eric around the waist. That was all it took.

Eric saw red.

He turned quickly and grabbed Bill around the neck, pushing Lafayette away. "Help Becky, and call the police. There will be a body soon," he said quietly.

Lafayette grabbed his phone and dialed 911. He was talking to the operator while he freed Becky, cutting through her ropes with a knife he found on the floor, and taking off her gag. Becky didn't even stop. She stumbled from the room, while Lafayette was still on with the operator. He turned and saw Eric, holding Bill up, his fist pummeling him with punch after punch. Bill was barely standing.

A shot rang out then, loud and clear, cutting through the night air as Bill slumped in Eric's grasp, a hole appearing in his forehead. Becky was standing in the doorway, a gun clasped in her hands. She stared at Bill, watching as Eric dropped him in shock.

"ERIC!" Sookie screamed from the bathroom.

Lafayette handed Eric the knife and the operator on the phone demanded to know what happened. Lafayette closed the phone then, ending the call as he spoke clearly.

"We all gots to get our stories straight," he said quietly, looking at Bill bleeding all over the carpet.

Eric was in the bathroom cutting through Sookie's rope, as she fell into him sobbing. He held her for a moment, and then moved to take his shirt off, putting it on her, hoping to cover her at least partially. He was trying to remove the rubber tie from her arm without luck. He gave up and swung her up into his arms as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

They were both crying when he spoke. "Sookie, please, you have to try to calm down now," he said softly. "I know it's hard please try lover, think about the baby. You're safe now," he said. sitting on the commode.

"I shot him!" Becky said, her eyes never leaving the body.

They all heard the bang on the door then. "POLICE! OPEN UP!"

Lafayette ran towards the door then, and flung it open. Officers swarmed in as Becky set the gun down, her eyes still never leaving Bill. "I shot him" she whispered to one officer. "He tried to rape Sookie! He was gonna inject her to lose the baby!" she whispered, unable to look at anyone but Bill then.

Another officer walked into the bathroom, finding Eric and Sookie, both still crying and clinging to each other. Eric looked at the officer "She needs an ambulance. There was a needle in her arm when I found her. She was naked in the tub; she is pregnant," he said quietly, hoping to not scare Sookie any further.

The officer nodded and spoke quietly. "There is one in the parking lot. I'll take you upstairs; follow me," he said, waiting for Eric to rise then.

Eric stood with Sookie in his arms, and walked out, blocking her view of Bill's body as he did. They made it to the ambulance; Sookie was still crying. When he tried to set her on a stretcher she clung to him in a panic. "NO!" she sobbed. "NO DON'T LEAVE ME! NO!" she said, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"Alight Sookie," he whispered, running a hand up and down her back. "I'm here Sookie" he said as an attendant removed the rubber tie from her arm. The woman placed it in a bag and sealed it shut, her eyes locking on Eric's as she did so. Eric just nodded.

Sitting on the stretcher, he watched the attendant shut the doors and felt the ambulance drive off, a cop car following behind.

The woman managed to get a blood pressure cuff on Sookie's arm and started talking in a quiet, soothing voice. "I need to take your blood pressure," she told Sookie who nodded, but still didn't remove her arms from around Eric's neck.

"She's pregnant," Eric said, gently disengaging Sookie's arm so the attendant could do her job.

"Do you know what was in the syringe?" she asked

"No," Eric said.

"It was pitocin," Sookie whispered.

"Did any get injected?" the attendant asked quickly, alarmed.

"No," Sookie answered. She was shaking then. "He said it would force me to miscarry."

Eric stiffened, his anger rushing over him again.

They rode to the hospital in silence, Eric rubbing her back as she clung to him. They wheeled the stretcher he was sitting on into the ER. Eric was surprised to find Dr. Ludwig already waiting for them. "I heard the call; I knew it was her," she told Eric as she walked next to them, patting his arm reassuringly as she did so.

Eric lay back on the stretcher, tucking Sookie into his side. Dr Ludwig had already filled out the admittance paperwork and they rolled them into a room, Eric lifted her off the stretcher and tried to lay her in the bed, but ended up laying next to her when Sookie wouldn't let him go.

"I don't care as long as her blood pressure goes down," Dr Ludwig said to him as they locked eyes over Sookie's head.

She looked at Sookie then, smiling and grasping her hand, "You're going to be all right sweetheart. Eric is going to stay with you. I am going to start an IV, we need to get some fluids into and the baby," she told her.

Sookie nodded. "Do you want to take pictures?" she asked quietly.

"I think the police will," Dr Ludwig said gently, "Do you want me to stay when they do?"

"Yes and Eric too," Sookie said, leaning into Eric.

"Alright," Dr Ludwig said quietly, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.

"I'm not leaving," Eric said, wrapping his arm around her. "I'm not leaving you again, ever again," he promised.

Sookie wrapped an arm around his waist and clung to him, her head resting on his shoulder as she tried to take deep breaths, the sound of his heart beating in her ear comforting her.

* * *

Sandy grinned evilly as she looked at Cheryl in the parking lot. She handed the woman the cash owed to her.

"Thank you" Sandy said "you have no idea how helpful you have been"

"What's going to happen to them?" Cheryl said, a momentary twinge of guilt hitting her.

"They are going to … disappear" Sandy replied easily.

"But they won't be hurt?" Cheryl asked "I really need this job, but I don't want anything to happen to anyone, at least not painfully"

"It will be entirely up to them how they are treated, everyone is given a chance" Sandy said "Enjoy the job, and let me know if you get a feel for any issues"

"I will" Cheryl said, turning to walk away.

Sandy watched her leave, happiness spreading through every part of her body. Sookie Stackhouse was finally out of her hair.

* * *

**AN: Wooohoooo...Eric saved they day... we are almost at the ends ya'll... I want to give another aknowledgement to my FAB beta ShadoKat...seriously ya'll she really helped with this chapter... for those of you who follow "It Begins" I am NOT giving up the story... just trying to sort through some ideas I have...ALSO... I am developing a new story as well... it will be featuring a much darker, more dominant Eric and a much stronger Sookie... stay tuned... **

**All reviews are welcome :) :)**


	42. Chapter 42

**THANK YOU TO ShadoKat for doing the beta/cleanup on this, and for her ideas!**

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Chapter 42

Felicia found the house. It had taken a while, but she knew when she pulled up that this was Eric's new home.

All she had to do now was wait for him to come home. She'd planned the scene out in her mind, had all the details worked out.

Felicia was going to tell him Bill had Sookie and what Sandy was going to do. She was going to confess it all to him and throw them under the bus. She was hoping that Sookie would be gone before Eric or the authorities could get to her, leaving a sad and lonely Eric all to her. She would help him pick up the pieces and put him back together again. It was that process that was going to make him realize, he couldn't live without her.

Yes, she'd thought it all through. She was sitting, smiling to herself and failed to notice the cop car pulling up behind her. It wasn't until the officer knocked on the door that she realized, she hadn't thought of everything.

* * *

It was early the next morning when Amelia and Pam walked into the room. Eric was in bed with Sookie, who was sleeping, her head in the middle of his chest. She was hooked to an IV, and a light sedative had been given to her not that long ago.

"How is she?" Pam asked quietly.

"Finally calm," Eric answered quietly, his arm still wrapped around her.

"There is a police guard outside the door," Amelia said, "and Quinn."

"Good" Eric said "Damon said he was gonna take care of things. There was an officer in here earlier. He took Sookie's statement and they issued an immediate pick up for Sandy Madden. She was apparently the master mind," he told them.

"According to the officer outside, they captured Felicia, but not Sandy. Until they do, Sookie gets a guard outside her door," Amelia replied.

"The way Damon explained it, when I talked to him, which is what he was told by Felicia," Pam said, "is that Sandy was jealous of Sookie and Victor's work relationship. She'd apparently had issues from day 1. Marrying Victor seemed to help at first, but Sookie did so much for him at work, and he kept saying how wonderful she was, that Sandy started hating her more. I think Victor always giving praise to Sookie finally just sent Sandy over the edge. According to Felicia, Sandy reached out to Bill and her when Felicia leaked her pregnancy story to the press. Sandy figured Bill was obsessed with Sookie based on Victor's comments about him. Cheryl was contacted by Sandy and she gave them the new address and the calendars," Pam explained. "Sandy had quite a plan for Sookie; she was going to sell her into the white slavery market. She already had a buyer in Morocco."

Amelia shook her head slowly. Eric tried to keep from tensing because Sookie was still pressed up against him. Looking at Pam he spoke quietly, "I need to get up. Stay with her in case she wakes," he said, slowly climbing out of bed and walking to the bathroom.

He returned a moment later, still shirtless, and crawled back into bed.

"Have you seen Becky?" he asked Pam.

"Yes, she is next door," she told him. "They aren't charging her yet, but we just aren't sure yet. Damon has already agreed to represent her if it goes to trial. He is positive it's an open and shut case. He also said something about justifiable homicide, but I have no clue what it all means," Pam said.

Eric just nodded, and ran his hands through his hair.

"Do you want me to bring you anything from the house?" Amelia asked.

"A change of clothes would be good, along with clothes for Sookie," he said.

Amelia just nodded. "Damon told us what happened to her," she whispered. "Did they take the pictures and get a statement?"

"Yes, right after Dr Ludwig started the IV drip and gave her the beginnings of the sedative. They came in, took her statement, as well as mine and took pictures of her marks." He growled then. "If Compton weren't already dead, I'd kill him with my bare hands."

"Lafayette said you almost did," Pam said, giving him the trademark Northman smirk.

"How is Lafayette?" Eric asked.

"They took his statement and sent him home. He was fine when I talked to him earlier," Amelia said, "but I'll call on the way to your house to double check."

* * *

Victor sat in his home, his head in his hands. The police had been by earlier, looking for Sandy. She wasn't home. She was out at dinner with a friend, he'd told them, and then….then they'd explained why they were looking for her.

He couldn't wrap his mind around it. Sandy, his wife, his lover, the mother of his children, she'd tried to kill Sookie, or at the very least sell her to some white slave trader. It left Victor stunned; he thought he knew her.

He was still sitting in the chair in the living room when she walked in the door, hours later. His mind was playing over memories - the birth of their children, how she'd been so loving with them, breastfeeding, taking care of them. Their moments of intimacy; he remembered the night they conceived their first in great detail. He'd been replaying their wedding over in his head when she spoke.

"What are you sitting here in the dark for?" she asked, smiling at him.

Victor looked up at the sound of her voice, but he didn't see his wife. Instead he saw a woman that resembled the woman he fell in love with.

"It was all a lie wasn't it?" he whispered to her.

"What was?" Sandy asked in surprise, her smile falling a bit as she looked at him.

"Our life together, it was all a lie," he said calmly, standing up in front of her.

"What are you talking about?" she said, cocking her head to the side.

"I know what you tried to do to Sookie," he told her quietly. "The police have been here," he told her, looking at her. "You tried to sell her?" he asked incredulously. "She is pregnant, and engaged, Sandy!"

Sandy blinked through her shock then, clutching her purse to her chest. "I did it for us! She was always meddling; she was always in between us!"

"She was my admin!" Victor said firmly. "You were my wife!"

"You supported her more than me! 'Sookie is perfect!'" she said, mimicking his voice, turning her back to him when she did. "I could never measure up! You never supported me like you did her!"

"You're jealous of my admin?" Victor demanded in anger.

Sandy turned then, facing him, "You know? What has happened?" she demanded.

"Eric found Sookie," he told her. "They are at the hospital. She is safe, Bill is dead, and the police want you."

"She is safe?" Sandy snarled. "Damnit, I want her gone!" she yelled, not hearing the footsteps outside the door. Victor had allowed the police to leave an unmarked car across the street and they'd seen Sandy pull in and walk into the house.

Victor grabbed Sandy's arm, intending to hold her still, when she whirled on him, a gun in her hand. "I'll take care of the bitch myself!" she growled out as Victor grabbed her.

Her finger was on the trigger and the abrupt grab by Victor pushed the gun towards herself. Everyone was shocked when they heard the gunshot, but Victor was shocked again when he saw the woman he loved fall to the ground, a red stain spreading over her chest.

* * *

**AN: Alright kiddies...sniff sniff...I think we are almost done...sorta...I have an epilogue coming...and MAYBE...just MAYBE...a sequel but I'm not sure yet.**


	43. Chapter 43

This has not been through my beta, all mistakes are my own, but I finally decided how I wanted to do this and I let it fly. I hope you enjoy and I look forward to all of your comments! See you at the bottom...tissues maybe necessary...

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Epilogue

"Breathe Sookie….you have to focus your pain…. Remember the class? Send your pain somewhere lover…" Eric coached from her side.

It had been several months since their last visit to the hospital. Felicia was in jail, Sandy and Bill were dead. Eric had turned over the day to day running of the company to Victor, so that he'd have more time for Sookie and now the baby.

"HOLY CRAP ERIC" Sookie hollered from the bed "Don't tell me to send the pain somewhere….you don't have to go through this… your body isn't being stretched 10 ways to Sunday"

"BREATHE Sookie" Eric coached a knowing smile on his face.

"We are never having sex again…do you hear me? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Sookie cried

"We're crowning" the doctor said from between her legs.

"Come on lover" Eric whispered in her ear "We're almost done, it's almost over, you can do this" he told her.

They'd been at the hospital now over 20 hours. Sookie had felt the contractions start the day before, and with all the stress from early in the pregnancy, Dr Ludwig decided to admit her. They'd walked the halls together hoping to force her to dilate and still it had taken quite a long time.

Sookie was breathing heavily, leaning forward as she clutched Eric's hand, a scream ripping itself from her throat. She fell back a moment later, out of breath, and exhausted.

"I can't do it" she said, tears in her eyes, "I can't do it, it's too much" she said shaking her head back and forth.

"Sookie, we are almost done lover, please, I know it's hard, but you can do this" Eric said as he wiped her brow.

Dr Ludwig looked up from between her legs "Sookie Northman, this is no time to flake out, in order to get this baby out you need to push, and push hard!" she ordered.

"Eric no...I can't" Sookie pleaded, her eyes glazed over from the pain.

"You can do this Sookie, I know you can" he told her, "We get to hold the baby in just a few moments love" he coaxed her.

Gently pulling Sookie up, he rested her against his shoulder as he leaned her forward, another wave took over Sookie and she gasped bearing down as hard as she could. Eric was counting then, hoping to give her something to focus on.

"Come on Sookie, you are doing so good lover 1….2….keep pushing 3…. 4….that's it lover, almost there 5….. 6…."

Sookie felt a tug and then a pop between her legs "Alright little girl, we have shoulders, broad shoulders" Dr. Ludwig said then "And almost a full head of blonde hair"

Eric's eyes locked on Sookie's then, both of them filled with joy, "Just a little more" Eric told her.

"It will be easier" Dr Ludwig said as she nodded to Eric to push Sookie again.

Eric started leaning her forward as a very exhausted Sookie took a deep breath "Good girl" he whispered in her ear "I'm so very proud of you" he told her.

A few minutes and a couple of pushes later, and Sookie pushed the baby clear of her body. A very proud Eric snipped the cord and the baby was rushed off for cleaning and weighing while Dr. Ludwig finished with Sookie. Eric never left her side, although his eyes never left his child.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Sookie asked as she finally got to lay back.

Dr. Ludwig smiled, holding back her answer, Eric didn't know either, the baby had been covered when he'd cut the cord.

"Bring the little one" Dr. Ludwig told her nurse.

Sookie had declined to know at the doctor's appointments, she'd wanted to wait to the very end before they found out. She'd been determined to decide on the name when she looked into her baby's eyes.

Dr. Ludwig set the baby down in Sookie's arms then, her face alit with excitement as she said "Sookie Northman, please meet your healthy, stubborn son. It's a boy"

Sookie fell in love with her son when her eyes locked with his. They were the exact same shade as Eric's, and were moving around the room in curiosity. Once his eyes focused on her, Sookie felt a bolt go through her and all the pain of the last day seemed to not matter. She touched one of his tiny hands.

"He's beautiful Eric" she whispered, pressing her lips to Eric's cheek then.

"He is indeed Sookie, my son is perfect" he said, his voice full of wonder as he gazed down at his son. He turned his eyes to Sookie then, locking her with his gaze "Thank you for a beautiful perfect son lover" he said quietly.

Sookie felt a tear in her eye then "Thank you for a perfect life Eric, a perfect son and for being a perfect husband, I love you with all that I am"

Eric kissed both of her eyes then, and pressed his forehead to hers.

Sookie reveled in the feeling of her son and husband close to her for a few moments, before opening her eyes "What are we going to name him?" she asked smiling.

"You have no preference?" Eric asked a bit surprised.

"Well…I do have an idea" she said quietly "Nicholas Godric Northman" she told him.

"That's an unusual name" he said testing it on his lips "Nicholas Godric Northman" he repeated it a few times "I like it" he said, bringing his hand up to touch his son's free hand "What do you think my son? Do you like Nicholas Godric Northman?"

The baby yawned in her arms, earning a chuckle from his parents "I think it works" Sookie said, "Would you like to hold your son?" she offered, adjust slightly to hand Eric the baby.

Eric smiled down at her and reached down to pull his son into his arms "My son" he whispered as he pressed his lips to his forehead, "Nicholas" he said, his eyes locking on his son's blue ones.

"I'm sorry I was so mean earlier" Sookie said "I said horrible things"

"I think you earned a get out of jail free card Sookie" Eric said smiling at her as he held his son. "Something about being in extreme pain earns you the right to cuss" he told her, winking at her as he did.

"Good" she said smiling at him.

"I am sure we will be having more of these" he said indicating the quiet baby in his arms.

"You are?" Sookie asked her eyebrow arching as she grinned at him.

"I am" Eric said confidently "You seem to be most fertile" he chuckled as she blushed "Since I hit the target so soon out of the gate to have this one" he said looking down at his son "I think it is safe to say we will have a house full quickly" his voice was warm and full of lust as he spoke to her.

"Do I need to hose you two down now? Truly Northman, she just gave birth, give the woman a break before you fill her belly again" Dr. Ludwig said in mock anger, reminding them that they were not alone in the room.

Eric laughed as he handed the baby back to Sookie. He stepped back then, watching her look down at Nicholas, his heart almost stopping as he watched them. His beautiful wife, holding his perfect son. It amazed him when he stopped to think of how far they'd come in so short a time. How much they meant to him, the love that Sookie filled him with. He knew that no matter where he went, he would never find anything to compare to this moment. His eyes focused on his son, the living reflection of their love for each other, the merger of their lives.

* * *

**AN: I almost feel like I am ending a part of my life with these two. sniff sniff HUGE THANK YOU TO ShadoKat! YOU ARE THE BEST**

**Lots of unanswered questions huh? Are you angry? Upset? What on earth happened? When did they get married? What did I miss?**

**Well you missed nothing, you'll have to wait for the sequel to get all of your questions answered, but Bill is dead, Sandy is dead and Felicia is in jail... so that much is definite... and we had a boy... **

**At least this wasn't too much of a cliffie... I was toying with the making the epilogue end not revealing the sex of the baby... but I gave in and even named him hee hee hee... smooches to you all and thank you for all of your love and support...!**


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